Leave Me Breathless
by Hikari-chan
Summary: Usagi was merely a simple small town graduate in computer science looking for a job in the city. The last thing she had expected was to fall into the arms of multimillionaire Heero Yuy...
1. Chapter 1: Aegis Electronics

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Wing or Sailormoon, right now, I would sell both for an improvement on my marks at school. . Does anyone think teachers will like either?

AN: I honestly can´t believe I started writing this, and I wrote all this in a matter of a few hours too. O.o I thought I was in a trough when it came to fanfic writing. LOL. Anyways, I know people are waiting impatiently for the next chapter of Silent Waltz. I´ll be honest with you. I´m about halfway done the next chapter. As soon as I figure out what to write, I´ll get to it. The first half is always easier because I have a habit of leaving cliffhangers. ^^;;; Meanwhile, maybe you´ll find as much amusement in reading this new story as I did writing it. I wanted to write a modern-day business romance story, and after much contemplation on the roles, here it is! It´s a little shorter than most of my other chapters, but hey, it´s the first one, so bear with me. Much thanks to you guys for supporting me thus far. I love you guys. ^^

Warnings: AU story. Very different roles for many characters. OOC-ness galore. Read at your own risk. =P

On to the story. . .

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Chapter 1 – Aegis Electronics

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"That is it!" the raven-haired woman shouted angrily, slamming shut the door to the spacious apartment she shared with her friend. Kicking off her shoes, she threw her purse onto the kitchen table and poured herself a much-needed cup of coffee, black coffee.

"Problems at work again, Rei?" a blond haired woman teased, practically bouncing into the room, her sky blue eyes dancing with mischief as she seated herself across from her housemate.

Rei´s angry purple eyes glared at the other woman. "I´m quitting tomorrow," she replied flatly, downing her cup of coffee in one gulp. "I cannot stand that man!"

Her companion grinned. "Oh come on. There has to be a reason why he´s the most eligible bachelor in all of Japan," she answered.

"Yea, his money, his money, and let me think. . .his money!" Rei yelled, her temper flaring. "No wonder the job as his secretary was wide open, despite the salary."

"Unless my memory fails me, there was a gazillion people lined up for an interview," the blonde replied, twirling a piece of her hair with her index finger.

"Not a gazillion people. It was a gazillion women, and let me tell you, Minako, there was probably only ten that were qualified," Rei commented dryly.

Minako laughed, the twinkling sound floating through the apartment. "If I wasn´t already modeling, I would have tried for the job," she responded with a wink, which earned her a scowl and a glare from Rei.

At twenty-seven years old, both women were tall and equally beautiful in their own right. Having met at university, and both being excited about finding work in the capital, Tokyo, as opposed to their small hometown, the two best friends had agreed to share an apartment and vow to be successful in their endeavors. Rei Hino, with her luscious, jet-black hair and fiery violet eyes, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree, and after a few small jobs in small companies, had finally landed it big after being chosen for the secretarial job of the boss at Aegis Electronics. Meanwhile, wandering through Tokyo with her fine arts degree, waist-length golden hair and eyes like the sky, Minako Aino was now a well-known name in all kinds of fashion magazines, admired by teens and elderly women alike.

"So you´re quitting for sure?" Minako continued without waiting for a reply from Rei.

Getting up to grab herself another cup of coffee and some crackers, Rei nodded. "I can´t stand it anymore. I don´t know why I wanted to be his secretary in the first place," she muttered.

"Because the pay was good and you wanted a nice job that paid well?" Minako replied, hiding her glee behind her hand when Rei glared at her again.

"The pay is good, but the job is definitely not nice," the raven-haired beauty replied flatly.

"So what do you want to do instead?" Minako asked, reaching over the table to help herself to some crackers.

Rei shrugged before falling into a contemplative state. "Think you have enough influence in your company to introduce me?" she questioned.

Minako raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to become a model?" she replied incredulously. "You´ve always said you hated the industry."

"I do," Rei confirmed. "I don´t want to be a model. It´s shallow and degrading. I just want to see if anyone needs someone to do the paperwork. You know, there must be somebody organizing your schedules, planning out who´s in which photo shoot and where. God knows I don´t want to be a secretary again anytime soon."

Minako stared at the ceiling thoughtfully, completely ignoring Rei´s opinion of her job. "Give me a second," she said, getting up and reaching for the cordless telephone perched on the wall of the relatively large kitchen. The cream and white décor was simple and elegant, with a glass breakfast table pushed against one wall, which the two women were sitting at.

Minako dialed a familiar number and tapped her long fingernails on the table as she waited for the call to connect.

"Hi, may I speak to Mr. Winner please?" Rei heard Minako ask politely.

"Yep, yes, it´s Minako Aino. Yea, that´s me," the blonde said into the phone, letting out a short laugh. "Hey, Mr. Winner? Yes, it´s Minako. No, nothing´s wrong. Yes, I´ll be at the shoot tomorrow. Oh, I was just wondering if you needed someone in the office to help with the papers. What? No, not me, I can´t even type. It´s a friend. She´s looking a job that deals with paperwork. Oh really? Alright, I´ll tell her. She lives with me. Yea, okay. Thanks a lot! I´ll see you tomorrow!"

She cheerfully hung up the phone and grinned at Rei. "You owe me a nice dinner out," she stated, her voice full of mirth.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "You can´t mean to say that I´ve already gotten the job. Most companies won´t hire people based on a friend´s reference," she pointed out.

"Well, he said that he does need someone in the office, seeing as one of the girls is taking a maternity leave in a week. He was going to post up ads, but since I got to him first, he´s willing to try you before he posts those up," Minako explained quickly. "He wants your resume, three letters of reference, and your interview will be three days from now, at four o´clock in the afternoon."

Rei smiled for the first time since she had returned from work. "That sounds wonderful. Thanks, Minako!" she replied. "Now I just have to write a letter to inform Aegis that I´m quitting."

She pushed her chair back and stood up to head for her room. She walked out into the large dining room, which was connected to a den that led to a balcony on one side and the front foyer on the other. Beyond that was a small hall that branched into a master bedroom, a smaller guest room, and a bathroom. Minako had insisted on having the master bedroom, saying that she was a rising star and needed the space. Rei had merely shrugged and settled for the smaller room. She had found the guest room cozier, for it was more like her own room at home. Plus, she hadn´t needed all the space the master bedroom had. Minako had even gotten a second bed in there to "fill up the empty space," to which Rei had rolled her eyes and declared Minako to have too much money on her hands.

The violet-eyed woman seated herself at her desk and turned on her desktop computer, quickly composing a page long letter for her resignation. She had no trouble with it, and was only interrupted once by the sound of the telephone ringing, which Minako had no doubt answered out in the den. Rei smiled to herself once she was done, and printing it off, she hurried outside to see, rather shockingly, a thoughtful Minako looking through the newspaper.

"I wasn´t aware you read the news, and we´ve been living together for more than two years," Rei commented, starting up the stove for dinner. She glanced quickly over Minako´s shoulder to see the classified section, which made her more puzzled.

The blonde sighed, turning to look at her friend. The originally agonized look turned to one of pure mischief once an idea crossed her mind.

"What is it?" Rei sighed. "Tell me before you burn the house down."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Minako replied, pouting. "I was just wondering how much influence you have at work."

Rei quirked an eyebrow at Minako. This has to be what people called déjà vu. Hadn´t she asked Minako that just a few hours ago? "You can´t do my job, Minako," she answered. "You can´t even type."

Minako made a face. "You don´t have to rub it in, you know," she responded. "Besides, why would I want to do secretarial work, other than for the hot man who would be my boss?"

Rei turned to the stove to cook some noodles, obviously annoyed. Her employer was the most insufferable man she had ever had the displeasure of knowing, and she could not understand why other women found him so devastatingly attractive.

"It´s my sister," Minako explained as though nothing had happened to dampen Rei´s mood. "She just graduated from computer science, and you know that back home, practically nobody even has a computer, so she´s thinking of venturing out here for a job, and she asked me to look in the classified section." The blonde sighed, tossing the newspaper aside with a groan. "If only I don´t owe her about fifty favors from our childhood days," she muttered.

"I didn´t know you had a sister," Rei suddenly spoke up, her interest returning. "How old is she?"

"Twenty-three," Minako replied absentmindedly, "and she must have gotten the brains in the family. She´s practically a genius, at least when it came to computers and those electric whatcha-ma-call-its."

Rei carried the cooked noodles to the table. "And somehow, you still came out electrically-challenged," she joked, serving Minako a helping. "But if she´s that good, she should be able to find a job, no problem."

"I was thinking that she could take over your job," Minako admitted, playing with the fork. "Wouldn´t it be easier for her to get into some big company like Aegis if she was recommended by an internal source?"

"Minako," Rei began, "I don´t even work in the electric department. Secretarial work is typing and paperwork, not programming software."

"Well," Minako drawled, "once she´s in the boss´s good graces, then she can switch into the other department?"

Rei sighed. Once Minako had her heart set on something, it was going to remain that way. "Fine, I´ll introduce her once she gets here. Speaking of which, when is she going to arrive in Tokyo? You do realize I quit this job in a week."

"Tomorrow," Minako replied, "I offered to let her stay at our place until she finds her own."

"Wow, you mean having two beds in your room is actually going to come of some use?" Rei muttered sarcastically.

"Looks like it," Minako grinned.

"Did you mention her name, Minako?" Rei asked suddenly. "Or did I miss it?"

"Huh? Oh yea," the blonde said sheepishly. "Her name´s Usagi. Usagi Aino."

~*~*~*~*~

A blond haired man shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the powerful man who sat behind the large, oak desk. He was almost spluttering out the well-rehearsed report. "And. . .and that´s it," he finished weakly, glancing around the room.

There were only three people, not including him, in that room fit to hold a hundred people, but he still felt like he was suffocating, and he wondered, for the twentieth time since he had stepped foot into that office, why he had been chosen to deliver the results of the audit.

The black-haired Chinese man, who was leaning against a bookshelf on the far end of the room straightened himself and walked towards the aforementioned desk in the center of the room. "So there aren´t any problems with my department´s bookkeeping and our numbers," he stated rather than asked.

The blond nodded, actually feeling more comfortable in another accountant´s presence. "Precisely. Everything is done correctly, and all the shifting of numbers to reduce taxes are perfectly legal," he confirmed.

"Great," the Chinese replied tonelessly, obviously not doubting his own accounting for one second. He looked impatiently at his watch before turning his sharp black eyes to the man behind the desk. "If that´s all for the accounting department, Yuy, I have to leave," he announced. "I promised my wife I´ll take her out to celebrate our one-year anniversary today."

The browned haired man behind the desk gave him a brief nod. "Have a nice dinner, Wufei" he offered politely, yet monotonously.

Wufei Chang, head accountant of Aegis Electronics, gave a nod in reply. "See you tomorrow, Barton," he added to the almost invisible man on the other side of the huge office before heading out the heavy double doors.

"You are dismissed too, Mr. Fujitaka," the still-sitting man stated. "Thank you for the report. Leave a copy of it on my desk, and you can be on your way."

Said man quickly did as he was told, and practically flew from the office, the doors almost slamming shut behind him.

"I think you scared him, Heero," the tall brown-haired man spoke from the side of the room. His green eyes stared after the fleeing auditor in well-hidden amusement.

Shrugging his broad shoulders, Heero Yuy stood up from the desk and crossed the room to a wine cabinet in a matter of a few strides. "Drink, Trowa?" he asked.

"Brandy, please," came the quiet response.

Heero nodded, poured the amber liquid into two glasses and walked to his friend, handing him one of them. "How´s the research going?" he questioned, leaning his shoulder against the wall.

"Good, but not great," Trowa replied, swirling the alcohol in his glass. "We made some good progresses, but no one has come up with anything exhilaratingly new and advanced."

Heero nodded, his Prussian blue eyes studying the liquid in his wine glass. "That will do for now, but if anything happens, tell me," he commanded before downing his drink.

Trowa Barton was head of the research department at Aegis Electronics, known to have one of the sharpest eyes in the company, with the exception of the boss himself. Right now, he was finding it rather queer that Heero had not asked for a deeper report of the progress in the research department.

"Something wrong, Heero?" Trowa asked cautiously, regarding the sudden defensive stance of his boss and friend with interest.

"Nothing," Heero replied, putting the glass into the small sink underneath the wine cabinet. "I just remembered that I have to escort Relena to some formal party tomorrow evening."

Trowa shook his head. Relena Darlian Peacecraft was one of the most well-known models in the entertainment industry. With her honey coloured hair, striking cornflower blue eyes, and tall willowy figure, she was a sought-after woman by many men. However, when it came to her own interest in men, she seemed to prefer the one man she can´t get. It was common knowledge that Heero Yuy and Relena Darlian Peacecraft showed up together to many functions, but anyone who had seen their relationship up close would conclude sensibly that it was one-sided. Heero had as much interest in Relena as he would in a dead fish, and being one of Heero´s best friend, Trowa knew that Heero never planned on marrying, though he didn´t know why.

"That´s nothing new," the green-eyed man commented.

Heero shrugged. "She´s becoming a nuisance," he answered.

"But you enjoy her company in bed," Trowa bit back dryly.

Heero shot him a warning glare. "Watch you language, Barton," he stated. "Otherwise, as soon as I find a fitting person to lead the research department, I´m firing you."

Trowa smirked, "If you ever find that fitting person," he bantered.

Heero had to smirk back at the comment. Trowa was good at what he did and he knew it. "I´ll have Wufei replace you," he replied.

Trowa didn´t bother to hide the amusement in his eyes. "And they can research numbers while I come up with new ways of handling your books," he said sarcastically.

"Precisely," Heero replied, seating himself at his desk and flipping over the auditor´s file.

Trowa shook his head again and decided to change the subject. "What´s this formal party for?" he asked instead.

"Some woman in some modeling company is having a baby. They´re celebrating," Heero answered, his eyes skimming the details in the report.

"Maybe it´s _her_ modeling company?" Trowa suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Frankly, I don´t give a damn," Heero responded, "but my secretary told me today that she has to leave early tomorrow to get ready for a party for her best friend´s modeling company. I daresay it´s the same party, if that helps in your deduction at all."

"Why don´t you go with your secretary instead?" Trowa joked. "It´ll definitely cause some commotion, you´ll be rid of Miss Peacecraft, and you still have the pleasure of attending."

Heero looked up over the brim of the file at Trowa, his eyes positively twitching with either annoyance or amusement at the suggestion.

"To be honest, she hates me. I can tell by the way she looks at me. It´s a wonder she´s lasted for a month. She´s the longest lasting secretary I´ve had," Heero commented, the mirth apparent in his eyes.

"Seems like women just want your affection, not your attitude," Trowa replied. "With the exception of Miss Peacecraft, of course."

Heero rolled his eyes at Trowa before returning to his file. "If you enjoy Miss Hino´s company so much, feel free to ask her out, Trowa," he stated dryly. "I won´t object to you making a move on my secretary, as long as it´s kept out of the office. You know I never liked mixing professional relationships with personal ones."

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End of Chapter 1.

AN: Was that boring or what? ^^;;;; Well, now you know some of the roles. I think a couple of pairings are already apparent, but I´m going to make this "courtship" as interesting as possible. ^_~ Please review and tell me what you thought.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Tokyo

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: I own everything! Bwahahahahahaha! No, I don´t. I don´t own anything. Now, let´s move on.

AN: Wow! How fast can I write when I´m inspired? *laughs* I´ll just bet people are waiting to kill me for not writing Silent Waltz like this, so I apologize. I´m on a streak. You can all thank serenity5685 for the early posting. I was going to wait until SW was done and post them together. Oh well. Of course, your guys´ unbelievable amount of reviews helped as well. *glomp* Thanks so much!

Celestial Dreamblaze: I enjoy this kind of story too, which is why I got so tempted to write one. =D

Ice Blue Eyes: You´ll find out soon enough. ^^ I´m glad you told me what you didn´t get though, because I can make it clearer in coming chapters.

Lilaclight, Sunshine Fia: Now! *laughs*

John Steppenwolf: I´ll bring in Heero´s own language later, but I thought it´d be nice to establish a bit of personality for the characters, seeing as they have different roles. ^^

dreamertwin: You´re like. . .the only person who noticed Wufei had a wife!! *huggles* I congratulate you!

Hima Tenshi: Luna and Artemis actually didn´t occur to me. But now that you´ve mentioned it, I´ll definitely consider them.

Akiko-chan: Call me whatever you like. ^^ I don´t mind, as long as I know you´re referring to me. *laughs* Go write another chapter!! Even though I should be talking because I haven´t update SW in months. ^^;;;

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore, Relena-bashing (possibly, but I made her pretty. It´s a start. . .)

Moving on. . . .

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Chapter 2 – Welcome to Tokyo

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Taking out the checklist she had made earlier that day and a pen from her desk, the young woman deftly put a checkmark next to all the things she had already packed into her medium-sized suitcase. There were her necessities, of course, some pieces of clothing, and other mementoes that her friends had given her at her farewell party last night. She picked up an elegant silver picture frame sitting on her nightstand. All her friends, old and young, were in the picture. She sighed softly, briefly questioning her decision to leave her beloved hometown. However, she knew that her parents were right. She would never find a job that she enjoyed here.

A knock on the door startled her from her reverie, and the blonde quickly called out, "Come in!"

The bedroom door opened, and she was greeted with the smiling faces of her two best friends.

"Hotaru! Mamoru!" she greeted with an enthusiastic smile as she stood up and ran to hug them both tightly.

The black-haired girl laughed and returned the hug while the man beside her merely chuckled at her behavior.

"You´re acting like you´ll never see us again, Usagi," the man teased her.

The blonde turned her mocking cerulean eyes at him, stepping back to let them into her room. "Would you care to make a bet on that?" she asked.

"Oh, Usa, you can´t possibly mean that you´ll never come back for a visit," Hotaru replied with a soft smile. Her violet eyes twinkled with mischief as she added, "So maybe my brother should make a bet on it."

"Taru, you know that if we do, I really won´t come back, just to make sure I win," Usagi commented good-naturedly, walking back to her bed to snap her suitcase shut.

"Which is why _he_ should make the bet," Hotaru answered. "That way, when I visit you in Tokyo, we can have our girl talks and he would never be in the way."

Usagi laughed as Mamoru shook his head at his sister. "Does anyone else feel the beauty of sisterly love?" he said sarcastically, making Hotaru grin at him.

"I really am going to miss you guys, all this bantering and laughter," Usagi said suddenly, sitting down on her bed to study both of them.

Hotaru Tomoe was the same age as she, and the two had grown up together, through thick and thin, through laughter and tears. She was even the same height as Usagi at five feet three, which was really quite small. However, their similarities ended there. Where Usagi had knee-length sunshine-kissed blond hair, Hotaru had chin length raven-coloured hair. Usagi´s laughing, expressive sapphire eyes contrasted with Hotaru´s silent violet ones. Yet, whenever they were together, both girls would suddenly gain a mischievous glint to their soul´s windows, which of course, drove their parents insane, trying to figure out what kind of disaster the two would create next.

Mamoru Tomoe was Hotaru´s older brother, and at twenty-seven, he was one of the most popular males in the town, being at the "right age for marriage." To Usagi, it was no wonder that he had earned that reputation, for he was good-looking with hair as dark as Hotaru´s and eyes so blue that they rivaled on a deep purple colour. He was five foot ten, and was obviously well-built.

"But you´ll get to see your sister again," Hotaru reminded her best friend with an attempt at a bright smile. "Surely, that´s something to be excited about."

Usagi smiled back. "Yes, I am anxious to see her again," she confessed. "She told me she had a housemate from university. It should be interesting to see how she puts up with my sister."

"She wasn´t that bad," Mamoru jumped in, remembering the beautiful blonde who was his age. Back in high school, everyone had thought the two of them would get together. Evidently, Minako´s departure from their town had put a nice stop to all the gossip.

"She wasn´t that bad if you didn´t have to do all the chores, clean up the mess she made with all her make-up, and somehow still agreeing to cover for her every time she was late coming home when she was a teenager. How I managed it at twelve years old will forever be a wonder to me," Usagi added dryly.

"You haven´t seen her in something like three years," Mamoru explained. "She could have changed."

Usagi raised and eyebrow and replied with amusement, "If I didn´t know any better, Mamoru, I´d say you have a thing for my sister. Should I encourage her to come home? I mean, since she´s changed in three years and all."

The two girls burst out laughing at the look on Mamoru´s face, which bordered on horror and disbelief.

"The only thing I´m going to say, Usa," Mamoru started flatly, "is that the men who come after you in Tokyo had better watch your tongue. It cuts better than the kitchen knife."

Usagi smiled sweetly at him and purposely fluttered her eyelashes to make herself look more innocent. "Don´t you mean _if_ men come after me? Honestly, I highly doubt it," she responded. "I´m looking for a job, not a husband."

Hotaru and Mamoru exchanged a smile as they watched Usagi hurl her suitcase to the floor from her bed. As Hotaru had often said, her best friend was beautiful, but she lacked the incentive to make an effort around the male population. She saw no need to, and she didn´t want to.

Usagi walked over to her desk and picked up her laptop computer before turning to face the other two occupants in her room. "Shall we go?" she asked, masking her sadness through her bright smile.

"We shall," Mamoru replied, picking up Usagi suitcase. "Your parents are waiting downstairs, and Minako will be waiting for you in Tokyo this afternoon."

"You know, despite everything, I do miss her," Usagi admitted as the three strolled down the stairs of the Aino´s small home.

~*~*~*~*~

"But you will be at tonight´s party, right?" a blond haired man asked Minako as the model pulled her long tresses into a ponytail. "Because Dorothy is taking her leave, we´re behind in the paperwork, and I won´t be able to give you the schedule for the coming week until tonight."

"Don´t worry about it, Mr. Winner," Minako replied nonchalantly. "I´ll come by the office and pick them up tomorrow afternoon. I´d hate to have my manager work himself to death and gain gray hairs at thirty."

Quatre Rabarba Winner looked at his most popular model with grateful blue-green eyes. At thirty, he was a successful manager in the modeling industry. Although he was not tall and devastatingly handsome, he had a sweet disposition and sunny, friendly nature that made him approachable and well-liked among many people. Currently, however, he thought that no one could be as sympathetic and sweet as Minako Aino. She was by far the most easy-going model he ever dealt with, and time spent with her passed by quickly. She didn´t fret over the tiniest details and would offer alternatives that made his life easier.

"I´ll be quite alright," Quatre assured her, "though I can´t wait to meet your friend. You seem to hold her in high regard, and I would love a capable hand in the office."

Minako twirled around and grinned at him. "I´m sure you´ll love Rei. She doesn´t have the best temper in the world, but she´s resourceful and very responsible. A little on the serious side, if you asked me. She´s been working as the personal secretary of the most eligible bachelor in all of Japan for a whole month, and she doesn´t make a move on the man."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "It seems sensible to me," he interjected.

Minako sighed. "Exactly," she replied. "Too sensible. Live life to the fullest! What´s the worst that could have happened? She´s quitting her job anyway, and would probably never see the man again."

"If you don´t mind my prying, Minako, why did your friend suddenly decide to work here?" Quatre asked. "I´m sure her pay as Mr. Yuy´s secretary was very high, much higher than what she would get working under me."

Minako smiled. "You have to realize that Rei isn´t all about money. She wants to enjoy her work. And to quote her, Heero Yuy is 'the most insufferable man [she´s] ever had the displeasure of knowing.´ She´s only said it to me four times a week for the past month."

Quatre managed to laugh at the description. "I suppose his work habits are different from his social ones."

"You´re talking about his undeniable indifference to which woman he shows up with to these social events," Minako responded with a grin. "I bet he can´t even remember them all."

"Although lately," Quatre added thoughtfully, "he seems to have taken a liking to Miss Peacecraft."

"Maybe he just needs someone to warm his bed and Miss Peacecraft was ready and willing," Minako retorted tonelessly, not bothering to hide her contempt for the one model who rivaled her in the industry.

Quatre shook his head. "I wouldn´t be surprised, but what I mean is that he might show up to the party tonight, seeing that he´s been accompanying her everywhere lately," he said, trying to placate Minako.

"Oh, that´s right!" the model suddenly exclaimed. "I will get to meet him!"

"Don´t be too happy about that, Minako," Quatre sighed. "We both know his history with women."

"I don´t mean I´ll lose myself to him," Minako answered with a grin. "I just want to know if he´s as hot as everyone says he is. In person, that is."

Quatre smiled again. "You just may get your wish, then," he replied. "By the way, why do you need to leave so early today? Surely, it´s not to get ready for this party. There´s another six hours before it starts."

"Oh no," Minako assured him, waving her hand as though to dismiss his assumption. "I need to go down to the train station to pick up my sister. She´s coming out to Tokyo to look for a job."

Understanding dawned in Quatre´s eyes, and suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. "Minako, why don´t you bring her to Dorothy´s party? I´m sure many of us would love to meet her, and she could use the party as a chance to be acquainted with some friends of yours," he suggested.

"That´s exactly what I had in mind, Mr. Winner," Minako grinned. She pulled a short, yellow, spring jacket over her stylish blue sundress before grabbing her purse from the dressing table. "I´ll see you tonight!"

And with a jaunty wave, she was gone, leaving Quatre smiling in amusement. He wondered what kind of woman Minako´s sister would be, and if she might be interested in becoming part of their company´s models. Surely, the sister of a beauty like Minako would be gorgeous in her own right, and if she was interested in the modeling business, two sisters appearing in the same pictures could be a new endeavor.

~*~*~*~*~

"Mr. Yuy, here are the finalized copies of the contract with Global. I just need your signature here and here," Rei informed her employer, pointing to two lines on a couple of sheets of the heavy paper used especially for contracts.

Heero nodded absentmindedly, not even bothering to lift his gaze from the computer screen, where he was looking over a new prospect for another business deal. "Just leave them on my desk," he muttered.

Rei sighed mentally. "I´m sorry, sir, but you told me yesterday that this contract needs to be sealed and a copy of sent to Global by the end of today," she replied.

"I know that," Heero answered, still not looking at her. "Now just leave it on the desk."

Rei clenched her teeth and glared at him. "Mr. Yuy," she bit out, "I have to leave in fifteen minutes, and the seal and sending cannot be done until you´ve signed this."

"Working is more important than going to a party," Heero responded monotonously.

Her eyes spitting fire, Rei slapped the folder with the contract in it onto his desk, successfully making him turn his eyes away from the computer screen to raise his eyebrow at her. "I have not neglected my work to go to this party, so don´t accuse me of something I didn´t do," she snapped. "Now sign this stupid piece of paper so I can get out of here! On time!"

"I don´t suppose you realize that employees are supposed to listen to their employers," he remarked coldly.

"Not if the employee is no longer working for the employer," Rei retorted.

"Meaning?" Heero asked, taking a pen from the classy, silver penholder on the desk.

"Meaning I quit," Rei declared. "I wonder now how I put up with you for a month, and it´s no wonder to me anymore why a high ranking position such as your personal secretary is offered to public." Her eyes openly shot daggers at him as she continued, "Now if you would sign this damn contract, I can stamp it, seal it, and send it away, and never see you again. My resignation letter is sitting on my desk, but I can leave it on yours if you would prefer."

Heero´s eyes danced with concealed amusement at her speech. He had started wondering how much longer it would take. Taking the folder with the contract, he signed his name in the two places with a flourish before closing the folder. As soon as his soon-to-be-ex-secretary stalked out of the room to finish her work, he opened the file on his computer which contained a copy of the reference letter he gave out to every person who had attempted the secretarial job. He changed the name of the employee, skimmed the letter to see if there was anything that didn´t fit, and printed it off. Signing that too, he walked out of to the office to see Rei packing her personal belongings into her bag.

"Miss Hino," he addressed her, making her look up. He handed her the letter and walked casually back into his office. He knew that as soon as Wufei found out, there would be another tally on the long list of resigned secretaries.

~*~*~*~*~

For the umpteenth time in her life, Minako was thankful for her height. At five feet eight, she was taller than most of the woman, and even some of the men, at the Tokyo Train Station. Looking around the station, she checked at the piece of scrap paper where she had written the train number that her sister had given her.

"Excuse me," a small, timid voice uttered behind her, making Minako turn around. "Are you Minako Aino?"

At the blonde´s friendly smile and encouraging nod, the girl, who looked no older than twelve lit up and held up a piece of paper and a pen to her. "May I have your autograph, please?"

"Sure," Minako replied cheerfully, taking the professed items and signing her name in the familiar motion of her signature. "Here you go."

"Thank you so much!" the girl exclaimed, then bowed quickly to thank her.

"No problem," Minako chirped. With a wave to the departing girl, she added, "Take care."

"If I had known I would be looking for you, I would have made you give me your coat number instead of telling you my train number," a familiar voice joked behind the blonde model, making her whirl around.

Minako stared at the petite blonde whose brilliant, laughing eyes were unmistakable. "Usa? Is that you?" she finally managed to choke out.

The young woman in front of her raised an elegant eyebrow at the question. "Nope," she answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I´m merely an illusion of this woman you call Usa and I will disappear the second you turn around."

Slowly, a smile crept across Minako´s face. It had been three years since she had last seen her younger sister, and the girl hadn´t even grown an inch. Besides that, she was still as sarcastic and witty as ever with her verbal skills. Quickly, Minako threw her arms around her sister as Usagi laughed. "You´re still short!" Minako commented as soon as she let go.

"You´re still tall," Usagi replied with a smirk. "and of course, you had to go wear high heels, which makes you even taller."

Minako grinned. "Well, first, let me welcome you to Tokyo," she announced, gesturing to the wide window panes which allowed Usagi to see the busy traffic and large skyscrapers outside. "Second, I can´t wait until you meet my housemate!"

"I can´t wait until I meet her either," Usagi jokingly answered. "I want to know what she got for agreeing to room with you."

Minako pouted. "That´s mean, little sis."

Usagi giggled, then gave the other woman a hug. "I´m sorry, but you can´t blame me after your teenage escapades, can you?" she asked.

Minako smiled sheepishly as she led her sister out the station to her white BMW convertible. "Well, I´m grown up and sophisticated now," she declared, helping Usagi put the suitcase into the trunk.

"If 'grown up´ means your height and 'sophisticated´ means your car, then I´ll humbly agree," Usagi replied, hopping into the passenger side.

"I´m going to hate living with both you and Rei," Minako muttered as she started the car and pulled onto the busy Tokyo streets.

"Your housemate?" Usagi asked. She stared in wonder at the many buildings and people, all looking busy and hurried.

"Yep. I´m wondering whether her temper´s worse than your comebacks," the model mumbled, shaking her head.

Usagi laughed, then she reached over to turn on the stereo, switching over to a local news station so that she had an idea of what was going on in the city. "So tell me how your life has been, Mina," Usagi requested as she kept one ear on the radio.

Minako grinned. "Now you´re talking!" she exclaimed, and quickly launched into the tale of how she had looked all over Tokyo for a manager, and finally made it to the photo shoots which made her as big as she was today.

Usagi nodded appreciatively. "That´s really impressive," she muttered, hoping to herself that she could mirror her sister´s success in the big city. She looked up when the car stopped suddenly, and blinked in surprise when she saw that they were in front of a shopping mall.

"Minako, I know you like shopping," she began, mirth lacing her voice as she spoke, "but I´m not going to believe you live here."

"Of course not, Usa!" Minako replied flippantly as she got out of the car. "We have to find a nice dress for you for tonight´s party. Seeing as it´s you, I doubt you brought anything remotely appropriate for this little gathering."

Usagi frowned as she obediently followed her older sister. Party? Little gathering? She brought skirts, isn´t that appropriate enough?

As soon as the two girls walked into the dress department of the department store, they were bombarded with salesgirls wanting to help "Miss Aino" find a dress. Usagi merely arched her eyebrows. Her sister was either really popular as a model, or she came to the store more often than she needed to.

It took Minako a whole ten minutes to explain that she didn´t need to buy a dress. She wanted to buy a dress for her sister, who was much shorter than her. And all of a sudden, Usagi was the one who had a handful of salesgirl studying her complexion and deciding what colours would suit her. She merely rolled her eyes and started to wander down the aisles herself, politely answering the questions they asked but not really paying attention to their suggestions. She didn´t really understand some of what they were saying anyways. They had funny sounding names for colours, such as "Cadet Blue" and "Lavender Blush." Plus, all the technical fashion names describing necklines and hems just flew by her head.

Finally, she picked up a knee-length, white satin dress that had pink cherry blossoms embroidered down one side. It had thick straps at the shoulder and a tight waist, which indicated that the bodice of the dress was going to be form-fitting. "Is this one alright, Mina?" she called out to the model who was browsing through the evening gowns.

Her sister looked at the dress and blinked. "You´re going to look really out of place with that dress," she told a confused Usagi. "Here, this one will be good! It´s a new style, but if you like that one, we can get that too."

She pulled out an ice-blue, Oriental-style dress with silver embroidery of butterflies and magnolia down one side. It was sleeveless and had two slits that went up to mid-thigh on either side of the dress. Checking to make sure the size was right, Minako signaled another salesgirl to pluck the white dress from Usagi and swiped her debit card through while Usagi stared in wide-eyed amazement.

As the two left the store after Minako had found her sister matching high-heeled shoes and a matching purse, Usagi shook her head as she commented, "Don´t you think this is a little much for a mere gathering?"

"Is that what´s bothering you, Usa?" Minako asked with a grin. "Trust me, not at all. You´ll thank me tonight."

"Yes, I will, for dragging me to this party without telling me about it," Usagi muttered under her breath. The only person who could get her into more trouble than Hotaru was Minako, and she had a feeling she wasn´t going to like this gathering Minako was so excited about.

~*~*~*~*~

A shrill ringing interrupted the silence of his office, and he practically growled as he stopped typing to look at his cell phone. The call display indicated that the call was from Relena. He glared murderously at the tiny cell phone as he pressed the "talk" button.

"This is Yuy," he answered in monotone.

"Heero!" the greeting on the other side made him wince. He wondered briefly why she couldn´t act like a normal human being and reach him via the company phone.

"What is it, Relena?" he asked, half-heartedly listening to her complain about her hairdresser doing everything wrong as he continued to type out his business document with one hand. What did he care about whether her manicure was ruined or not?

"And just when are you going to pick me up?" the supermodel finished.

"An hour," he muttered in reply. "I still have work to do."

"Well," the woman on the other side huffed, "I do hope you mean an hour this time. The last time you said you´ll pick me up in two hours, you didn´t show up until five hours later!"

"I´ll be there. Now let me finish this. Otherwise, I won´t show up at all," he warned her, his voice taking on a note that wasn´t the least bit pleasant.

"Alright, then I´ll see in an hour!" the cheery voice replied, but all she heard was the dial tone.

~*~*~*~*~

Rei resisted the urge to scream her frustration as she stomped into the apartment´s kitchen and poured herself a cup of her usual black coffee. She cannot believe the man. He had walked out of his office, handed her a reference letter that was probably the same as every other reference letter he had written and calmly walked back into the office. It was as though his ego assured him that he´ll be able to find another secretary with no problems at all, one that was better than her, even.

Rei growled lowly in her throat. She glanced at the clock, then sighed. The party Minako had invited her to was going to start in a little more than an hour. Wait a second. . . . Rei groaned out loud as she remembered Minako. Or, to be more precise, Minako´s sister. How was she going to introduce her into the company if she herself no longer worked there? She let out a sigh and rubbed her temples. Her contemplation for a solution, however, was cut off when she heard the front door open.

"So precisely _why _did you get yourself two beds in your room again?" an unfamiliar female voice mocked as the thump of a suitcase was set onto the floor in the foyer.

"Because I have foresight and I knew you would someday need to come," came the haughty reply from her housemate.

Rei rolled her eyes at the answer. It was such a Minako thing to say.

"If that is so, then I´m afraid it is your memory that´s going, dear sister. How is it that you could forget to remind me to bring a nice dress for this party of yours when you conveniently foresaw years before that I could come to Tokyo?" came the laughing question.

Rei´s irritation quickly dissolved into amusement, and she managed to let out a smothered giggle. She stood up from her chair just as Minako walked in with a much shorter woman. Minako had said she was twenty-three, but the child standing next to her could pass for eighteen!

Minako grinned at her housemate, obviously taking great pleasure in the apparent shock on her face, which indicated she couldn´t believe that Usagi looked so different from Minako herself. It was obvious that Rei had been expecting another tall, somewhat clumsy, lazy blonde.

"Rei, this is my sister Usagi. Usa, meet Rei Hino, my housemate and best friend from university," Minako said quickly.

"It´s nice to meet you," Rei recovered quickly, bowing in respect.

"Likewise," Usagi bowed in return, then the formalities ended. "So, Miss Hino, tell me how my sister convinced you to share an apartment with her."

"Usa!" Minako practically whined in horror.

Rei laughed, seeing that Usagi was joking by the look in her dancing eyes. "You know something, Usagi. I think I´m going to enjoy having you around," she stated, watching Minako look back and forth between them. Rei smiled internally. She was no longer worried about not being able to introduce Usagi into the office. This girl was going to be just fine on her own, wherever she was going to work. Rei could feel it like a premonition.

Taking Rei´s cue as her permission to call the other woman by her first name, Usagi grinned. "I have a feeling I will enjoy your company as well, Rei."

**************************************

End of Chapter 2.

AN: Okay, so now, you have a little bit of knowledge of Usagi´s personality in this. ^_~ I´m aware that there are characters that haven´t shown up yet, but don´t fear, they will. I just need to find a natural place to put them. I´ve been good by updating, so please be good too by reviewing. ^_~ Thanks a lot!


	3. Chapter 3: First Impressions

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan 

Disclaimer: Whatever. If you believe Sailormoon or Gundam Wing is mine, you have serious problems. Enough said.

AN: I´m surprised at the number of reviews. O.o I honestly am. I didn´t think so many of you would enjoy this story. It was just a fun thing for me to write, throwing the characters into a very different situation. I´m very glad you´re enjoying it though and I thank you guys for your continued support.

Sailor Grape: She has no idea at all. =D And I don´t mean just the party.

Sunshine Fia: You´re right, on both accounts. But I´m not going to tell you. =P You´ll just have to find out on your own. ^_~

Heart Soul: *coughs* Relena´s part is about to change. Quatre only knows about Heero from the media. Otherwise, Minako would have wormed her way into a meeting with him. =D

mistress 13: Uh. . .I´ll try my best for as often as possible. ^^;;; And yes, I do know I´ve neglected to finish SW.

Ice Blue Eyes: I´m trying my best not to bash Relena, at least, not to the extent I usually do, but it´s really hard for me, because I really hate her. -.-;;; I´ll try to update CF too, but time isn´t so nice. If I´m updated on one fic, I´m really behind on another one.

Chibi Shamps: *hugs* I haven´t talked to you in forever. ^^ Yes, I can´t quite believe me either. I shouldn´t have started another one, but when inspiration and impulse hit, life´s too short to debate about them. SW is coming. I´m slowly cranking out the chapters. It´s coming to an end. Thank god. -.-;;; I need to finish it once and for all. The sequel´s not established until I post the first chapter. . I just can´t manage that many.

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore, and possible Relena-bashing.

An early Merry Christmas to you guys! Enjoy!

****************************************

Chapter 3 – First Impressions

****************************************

The blond haired woman stared at herself in the mirror before letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes. Further conversation at the kitchen table had stopped due to Minako suddenly remembering the party they were all supposed to attend. The model had ushered Rei to her room and Usagi to theirs, yelling and shouting about getting dressed before jumping into the shower herself. Now, all Usagi can hear in the previously amicable apartment was the sound of running water.

She shook her head in disbelief at her sister´s behavior and opened her suitcase. Checking the clock, she realized that it was only quarter past five, meaning there was more than enough time to dress for this party that Minako claimed was beginning at seven. Shrugging, Usagi opened the closet door to find a place for her clothes, only to be almost crushed under the mountain of shirts, pants, and dresses piled in her sister´s closet. Rolling her eyes again and deciding she was in no mood to rearrange Minako´s closet, Usagi merely set her suitcase on the floor, removing her necessities and putting them on her dresser. Tomorrow, she would start looking for an apartment of her own. It wasn´t that she didn´t like her sister and Rei, but honestly, living in the same room as Minako would drive her insane.

The room was big, yes, but there was clothing everywhere, not to mention boxes of chocolates, perfume, and so much make-up that this may as well be a store. Picking up her laptop, modem and some wires, the blonde walked back into the kitchen, where she was sure she had seen a phone. She set up the system in a matter of minutes, and quickly went online to check her email. As she went through the fifty from all her friends in university, all wishing her well and making her promise to keep in touch, she never noticed the soft footsteps of Rei, who had come out of the shower herself and heard a commotion in the kitchen.

"Did you set that up yourself?" Rei asked, drying her hair, which was wrapped in a white towel.

Usagi jumped, turning in her chair to face Rei. "You surprised me!" she told the other woman. "Yes, I did it myself. Am I not supposed to?"

Rei laughed, seating herself beside Usagi. "Go ahead," she replied. "I have no problems with it, seeing that I have Internet connection in my room too. You just have to realize that I live with Minako. I´m not used to someone else setting up local networks in the place."

Usagi grinned. "Still technologically challenged, is she?" she asked.

"You can say that," Rei answered. "The fact that she can´t type should be enough of a clue for you."

"We´re all good at something," Usagi reasoned, turning back to finish her email. "I don´t know the difference between foundation and powder, or what colour 'Mist of Avalon´ is supposed to be."

"Minor setbacks, Usagi," Rei responded, getting out of the chair. "You´ll know all there is to know about the modeling world once you´ve lived around Minako at her current stage."

Usagi said nothing, deciding that she didn´t want the other woman to think she was ungrateful for their generosity by running off as soon as she had the chance. As Rei left the kitchen, she added over her shoulder, "You can use my shower if you want. Minako´s going to be another, say, thirty minutes."

Usagi laughed and thanked her, then deciding a shower did sound good, she turned off the laptop and went to Minako´s room, grabbing a towel and her favourite shampoo from her suitcase.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero surveyed the possibilities of the new business deal he was working on. It was going to be a worthwhile contract, able to make the company quite a bit of money. The negotiator would be in to discuss the conditions and collateral in a couple of days. He sighed suddenly, getting out of his comfortable chair and packing up his briefcase. Changing the lighting system of Tokyo Tower would definitely be a profitable deal, but how he was going to do this was another story altogether. The most efficient way that his research crew had come up with was an improvement over the current lighting system, but it was nothing fantastic. He wanted to come up with something amazing, worth the investor´s while.

Checking the clock, Heero noticed in mild amusement that there was another five minutes until he was supposed to have picked Relena up. However, he hadn´t gotten ready himself. Making sure to turn his phone off so that Relena can´t call to bother him, he left the office and went to his apartment, which was conveniently, a mere three floors above his office.

A lot of people would call him a workaholic, but he really liked the site of his home, fondly nicknamed the "Bachelor Pad" by his two close friends, Trowa and Wufei. It was decorated in a subtle shade of gray, with intricate moldings across the top of the walls and expensive paintings and sculptures everywhere. The entire place was carpeted, with elegant glass tables, leather couches, and enough places to plug in a phone line for a whole computer lab to be set up.

Putting his briefcase down on the kitchen table, he grabbed himself a cup of black coffee before heading off to shower and change for the little gathering. He had just finished putting on his sophisticated black jacket when his house phone rang. Heero rolled his eyes. He would bet his whole business that it was Relena.

"This is Yuy," he answered the phone.

"Heero! You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago! I can´t be late for this party! I promised Dorothy! But because of you, she´s going to be mad that I´m not there when I said I was going to be!" the woman on the other end ranted on.

"You could have gone without me," he interrupted pointedly. _And save me a lot of trouble,_ he added mentally.

"What?!" came the incredulous reply. "I can´t possibly show up without a date, and you know that the only man worthy of being seen in public with me is you!"

Heero could have asked why that was, why she didn´t just leave him alone, why she was so persistent, why she was so annoying and clingy, and a lot more other questions, but he decided that the best course of action now was to go and pick her up. No matter how angry he got or how annoying he thought she was, he would have to accompany her anyway, so why not just get it over with?

"I´ll be there in ten minutes. Wait for me at the gate," he commanded, and without even waiting for her to acknowledge that she had heard, he hung up the phone, grabbed the keys to his Porsche, and left the apartment. On his way down to the garage, he turned on his cell phone, noting to his irritation that he had missed twelve calls, all from Relena.

~*~*~*~*~

"I feel like a doll," Usagi announced as she walked into the living room, where an already dressed Rei was waiting for the two blondes.

Rei looked up from the magazine she was flipping through and grinned at her new housemate. Minako obviously wanted her sister to be a big hit with all of her friends. She had gone all out on Usagi´s hair, winding and coiling about half of it atop her head in a pile of waves and braids while the other half was curled and flowed freely down to the small of her back. There was minimum eyeliner and blush on her face, probably due to Usagi´s insistence, since Rei knew how crazy Minako could get with make-up.

As for the model herself, she wore an elegant lavender chiffon dress, simple in design, but paired with the sophisticated French twist that held up Minako´s hair, the ensemble was made her look sexy and desirable.

"You look beautiful, Usagi," Rei praised, standing up and straightening her red gown, which had a halter neckline and shimmered with every move she made. "You´ll be the star of the party tonight."

"No thanks, I´m not big for hanging in the sky all night," Usagi replied dryly. Pulling on the long black jacket she brought from home, she added to the two grinning women, "Are you sure we´re not overdressed? I feel like we´re going to a ball."

"Then let me reassure you from personal experience," Rei laughed as the three headed down to Minako´s car. "The first time Minako told me to go with her to a 'little gathering´, I wore jeans and a blouse."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Usagi answered.

Her sister grinned at her. "She had to borrow my car, drive home, and change."

Usagi glanced between the two laughing women in the front seat and sighed. This was not what she had expected at all when she decided to look for a job in Tokyo. She stared out the window as the car sped past little shops and streets full of people. Rei and Minako continued to chat in the front, and Usagi automatically tuned them out once she realized they were discussing old times and men.

Time passed quickly as Usagi lost herself in thoughts of home. She smiled faintly. Mamoru and Hotaru had both promised to visit once she was settled and had a successful career. Actually, they made her promise to invite them to visit her. Her train of thought was interrupted by the voice of Minako calling her name.

"Yea?" she asked, looking up, her eyes widening at the house, no, mansion, in front of her. The place was built entirely of white stones, with two tall pillars on each side of the massive front doors. Looking behind her, Usagi saw that the front lawn stretched out for at least a hundred meters, and both sides of the long driveway were filled with flowers of every kind.

"Isn´t it beautiful?" Minako said as the three women got out of the car. She handed the valet the key to the BMW and gestured for Rei and Usagi to follow her to the entrance, which was already crowded with arrivals.

"Yes," Usagi agreed, "but isn´t it a bit extravagant of a place to live in?"

"Nothing´s too good for the Stones," Minako replied, taking out an elegant invitation from her purse. "Mr. Stone is the founder of multiple diamond mines in Iceland and Africa. Besides, I think they have servants taking care of the place."

"No, I´m sure Mr. Stone enjoys mowing his front meadow in his free time," Usagi answered with a sideways glance at her sister.

Minako ignored the sarcastic reply and handed the butler her invitation, gesturing that Usagi and Rei were with her. The butler, who was only an inch taller than Minako herself, nodded and ushered them inside, then took the time to point out the mistress of the house to the three guests before going back to his post at the front doors.

Minako led them down the grand marble staircase that led them to the ballroom, which Usagi noticed with a bit of exasperation, was as stunning and over-elaborate as the front lawn. The entire floor was done with beige marble tiles; the ceiling was high and painted with pictures of Greek gods and goddesses; five huge crystal chandeliers hung in different parts of the room. At the front was a live orchestra, currently playing a medium paced song for the people who wanted to dance. Minako finally stopped in front of a tall couple. The woman was blond and wore a strapless gold dress decorated with sequins while the man had on a classic black and white tuxedo.

"Dorothy!" Minako greeted enthusiastically, hugging the woman, who chuckled and hugged back. "Good evening, Mr. Stone."

The silver hair man smiled and bowed formally to his wife´s friends. "Good evening to you as well, Miss Aino, Miss Hino, and. . . ." He trailed off, leaving Minako to fill in the name of the petite woman whose name he didn´t know.

"Usagi Aino, my sister," Minako introduced, pulling Usagi forward, who smiled politely. "Usa, meet the woman who discovered me, Dorothy Stone, and her husband, Mr. Diamond Stone."

Usagi raised an eyebrow at the name. "You´re certainly one of a kind in a city of pebbles, Mr. Stone," she commented.

Dorothy laughed, catching Usagi´s reference to the phrase "diamond in a sea of pebbles."

"You´re one of a kind as well, Miss Aino," Diamond replied, his gray eyes twinkling in amusement. "I must say that you´re the second person to comment on the strangeness of my name, though I´m sure more than two of you have thought so. Given, you´re more polite than the first one who did." He paused, looking meaningfully at Dorothy.

"I merely said what was on my mind," Dorothy defended.

"I didn´t say I minded," Diamond replied good-naturedly. "So, tell me, Miss Aino, what do you think of the ballroom? We had it renovated about a month ago. I would like the opinion of someone who´s honest with her thoughts."

Usagi smiled wryly and gestured to herself. "Let´s just say I feel like a pauper," she answered.

Dorothy shook her head. "No, not at all. You look beautiful!" she praised.

"And you thought you would be overdressed?" Minako added, making Rei smile as well.

"My definition of a 'little gathering´ is a meeting with two friends in the booth of a pizza parlor," Usagi supplied. "If you ever tell me we´re going to a ball, I´m going to have to borrow some of Mr. and Mrs. Stone´s ballroom accessories."

Diamond chuckled at Usagi´s remark. "I haven´t met a young woman like you in a long time, Miss Aino," he said, earning a nod of agreement from his wife. At Usagi´s confused frown, he added, "Many of the women in our circle are more. . .artificial. They are usually very demure or very outrageous. No one speaks their mind the way you do anymore."

"Yes," Dorothy continued, then an almost evil smile grew on her face, "which is why you need to meet the other girl I discovered."

Minako fought hard against the urge to scream and shout, and Diamond, Dorothy, and Rei, seeing Minako´s scrunched up face which was obviously trying to hide her disgust, started to laugh.

"Oh Minako," Dorothy scolded lightly, "you shouldn´t ruin your face that way."

"Yea, sis," Usagi added with a smirk, "you wouldn´t want it to stay that way, even if it could be interesting for a couple of magazine covers."

Minako glared at her sister. "If you knew how much I hate the woman you´re going to meet. . . ." she trailed off, blowing her bangs out of her face lightly.

Dorothy smiled sympathetically. "I know she treats you rather badly because of your fame, but please, Minako, for my sake, could you tolerate her for tonight?" she pleaded. "I want this party to be successful. It will be my last one as a hostess prior to the baby´s birth."

Minako sighed. "Just for you, Dorothy," she replied. "Only because you´re the reason I´m where I am now."

Dorothy smiled her thanks, then shared a quick kiss with her husband. "I´ll introduce them to Relena. Would you take care of the other guests?" she asked.

Diamond nodded, watching his wife lead away the other three women.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero led Relena off the dance floor, absentmindedly listening to her chatter and nodding in all the right places. He knew she wanted it look as though they were a happy couple and get more attention from the media, whose cameras have already flashed in his face ten times this evening, and counting. It was all he could do not to blow Relena off and go back to his office and finish the plans for his business deal, but that wouldn´t be good for publicity. He could see the headlines of the newspaper now, "Tokyo´s Most Eligible Bachelor Ditches Famed Model At Stone Party." He smirked mentally.

"Heero! Are you listening to me?" Relena asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Unfortunately, yes," Heero replied, taking a glass of champagne from the waiter who just walked by them.

"What´s that supposed to mean?!" Relena snapped, obviously annoyed at his lack of attentiveness.

"Smile, Relena, the cameraman twenty feet left of us is about to take a picture," Heero drawled, almost smirking when she complied by beaming at him mere seconds before the flash went off.

"I see the two of you have captured the media´s attention again," came the familiar voice of their hostess as she walked up, three women trailing behind her.

As Relena smiled and apologized to the woman for being late (because it was Heero´s fault and not hers), the man took the time to examine the women who he was sure he was about to be introduced to. The tall blonde was familiar to him, as he had seen her in many magazines that sat on the newsstands, not to mention that she appeared in most of the gatherings that Relena practically dragged him to. _Minako Aino_, his mind supplied him with the name of the popular model.

Her friend, his ex-secretary, was practically spitting fire at him from where she stood, and if it wasn´t for the formal gathering and the sake of politeness, he would probably have made a comment.

"Relena, Mr. Yuy," the hostess addressed them with a gracious smile, "I´m sure you already know Miss Minako Aino. This is her friend, Rei Hino."

"We´ve met," Heero interrupted the introduction, smirking at Rei, which only made the raven-haired beauty steam as she glared at him.

"Rei, do you want to head to the kitchen? Maybe they need a stove there," commented the petite blonde, whose name he still hadn´t gotten. He noticed that her dress hugged her womanly curves and the slits in the dress showed off her creamy legs. Her heart-shaped face made her look young and angelic, but it was her huge sapphire blue eyes that caught his attention. They sparkled and danced with amusement as she regarded her companion.

Dorothy and Minako grinned while Rei turned her glare at her companion, which made the girl wince. Heero´s smirk widened. "I´m sure ice water will do fine," he added.

"No, at this rate, it´ll end up on me and I never liked cold showers," the blonde replied with a shrug.

Much to Rei´s surprise, and Relena´s anger, Heero actually chuckled. He had never met someone quite like her, beauty and intellect together. It was refreshing, and suddenly, the party didn´t seem so bad anymore.

Dorothy smiled in delight. "Seeing as you´ve taken an interest in her, this is Usagi Aino, Minako´s sister. Usagi, meet Miss Relena Darlian Peacecraft and Mr. Heero Yuy."

"How old are you exactly, Miss Aino?" Relena asked immediately, scrutinizing Usagi with a critical eye. She did not like the way this pipsqueak of girl managed to engage _her_ Heero in conversation. "Nineteen?"

"Not unless you yourself are four years younger as well," Usagi answered with a polite smile. "I´m twenty-three."

"A child," Heero stated suddenly, smirking at the look she was giving him.

"Yes, I´m sure that as compared to yourself, Mr. Yuy, I am but a mere child," Usagi replied in an even tone. "Speaking of which, I know that dinner is about to start. Would you like me to go get your cane for you?"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "No, I´d rather have a servant help me to my table," he responded.

Usagi smiled sweetly at him, a little too sweetly. "I´m sure Miss Peacecraft would be happy to comply with your request," she said, making Rei and Minako choke on their laughter.

Dorothy grinned. She quickly led the three women and a furious Relena, who was on an amused Heero´s arm, to the dinner tables. She had never seen the infamously stoic Heero Yuy the way he was just a few moments ago, and she couldn´t wait to see what else would happen tonight, for she knew that this was not the end of Heero and Usagi´s first encounter.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi tried to stifle a yawn as she approached the refreshment table. It was almost midnight, and the exhaustion from her trip was taking its toll on her. In addition, between Minako, Rei, and Mrs. Stone, she had to have met at least a hundred people tonight, and she could barely keep their names straight. The majority of them were in Minako´s business, which of course, came as no surprise, seeing that Mrs. Stone was in the business herself. Others were Mr. Stone´s business friends and acquaintances, some of which would be very useful in getting a job. Yet, Usagi didn´t want to get a job because of the people she knew. She wanted to be recognized for what she did, not who she was.

"Isn´t it past your bedtime?" came a mocking voice behind her.

Usagi pasted on a smile, which was really making her face hurt, and turned to find Mr. and Mrs. Stone, along with Heero, Relena, and a few other friends of the Stones behind her.

"Are you sure you´re reading the time right without your glasses?" Usagi retorted easily.

"I´m sure I´m reading it fine, seeing as my watch is only mere inches from my face," Heero replied.

"Then I suppose you had a bit of problem setting your watch," Usagi stated.

Dorothy chuckled. "Whether or not it is your bedtime, as Mr. Yuy puts it," she interrupted their potential verbal fight with a wink, "you´re going to have to change your habits now that you´re in the city. Tokyo doesn´t sleep so early."

Usagi gave a weak smile. "I´ll just have to wake up later," she answered.

"If that´s the case," Heero began, "would you like to celebrate your newfound adulthood with a dance?" He held out his hand to her, ignoring the glare Relena was sending his way.

"I-" Usagi´s response was cut short when someone bumped into her from behind. She turned to see a sheepish looking man who looked at her apologetically. He wore a tuxedo much like her host´s, but the shirt inside the jacket was black instead of white.

"Sorry there, beautiful," he greeted her with a cheeky grin. "Your beauty has blinded me and I couldn´t see where I was going."

Usagi resisted the urge to laugh out loud at what she thought was a cheesy pick-up line. "Then, please stand still, sir, and I will be happy to call the hospital, seeing as it appears to be my fault," she replied with as straight a face as she could.

The man laughed, and for the first time, Usagi noticed that he had unusually long, chestnut coloured hair for a guy. His merry indigo eyes twinkled as he stuck out his hand. "Duo Maxwell," he said, grinning at the entire group.

"The actor?" Usagi asked, staring at the man she had only seen on the television screen at home.

"The one and only!" Duo replied, obviously proud of himself. "Seeing as you´ve blinded me, beautiful, how about a dance to make up for it?"

"I´d love to," Usagi accepted with a smile, taking his offered arm and walked out to the dance floor.

A slow song was playing, and Usagi tried her best to follow Duo´s lead, but she had never danced in such a formal setting before, and she couldn´t help but blush when Duo winced after she stepped on his toes. It seems though, the more she tried, the worse she got, until Duo grinned at her. "Are you sure you´re not doing that on purpose?"

Usagi had the decency to blush. "I´m trying not to do it on purpose," she replied with a smile.

Duo continued to make conversation with her, and she soon found out that he was twenty-seven, the same age as her sister, who he claimed to know. He was only a couple inches taller than her sister, but that still made him a lot taller than her.

The song ended, and Duo led her back to the group she was chatting with before he interrupted them.

"My dear, you seem to be awfully popular with the men here," Dorothy commented with a wink. "I´ve had a lot of questions about you from many of the guests."

"She´s interesting indeed," Diamond agreed. With a smile, he added jokingly, "She´s the first woman to turn down Heero Yuy."

"Oh!" Usagi exclaimed, suddenly remembering that Heero had asked her to dance first. "I´m so sorry! I completely forgot. I got caught up with meeting Mr. Maxwell."

Instead of being polite and saying that it was alright, as everyone expected, Heero merely shrugged indifferently, not even bothering to ask her for a dance again.

Relena smirked at Usagi. "Children just don´t know how to pick men," she stated.

"And some men don´t know how to pick dates," Usagi replied, making Duo snicker.

Throughout the evening, Relena had been nothing but insulting and snobbish towards her and her sister, so Usagi had long since given up trying to be nice. As long as she wasn´t outright rude to Relena, her hostess shouldn´t have any problems.

Relena glared at the petite blonde. "Just what is that supposed to mean?!" she snapped, finally letting go of Heero´s arm.

"I don´t see why you would be so offended, Miss Peacecraft," Usagi responded politely. "I never implied anything that related to yourself in what I said, unless, of course, you´re claiming to be the man who doesn´t know how to pick dates, or the bad date that a man would pick."

Relena fumed, steam practically coming out of her ears. Usagi, seeing this, turned to Heero and smiled sweetly. "I´m very sorry about neglecting your offer earlier, Mr. Yuy. Would you do me the honor of letting me make up for it?" Her tone was almost amused, letting herself play the role of the man in this setting.

Heero shrugged, then walked towards the dance floor with neither a word to her nor an offer of an arm. Usagi blinked, then glared at his back as she followed him. That was rude of him. As he stopped in the middle of the dance floor to wait for her, Usagi almost smirked. She walked towards him, up to him, then past him, but before she could get three feet away from where he stood, Heero reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"You wouldn´t dare," he half growled, half laughed, pulling her into his arms as the waltz began.

"I wasn´t aware you wanted my company, Mr. Yuy," Usagi answered innocently.

"_I_ wasn´t aware that you would rather do the asking, Miss Aino," Heero replied, twirling her around the dance floor. "If you had told me, then it would have saved my effort."

Usagi said nothing, trying her best to concentrate on the steps of the waltz. Heero, noticing her silence, raised an eyebrow. "Come child, you can´t tell me you have nothing to say," he prompted her, trying to illicit a reply.

"You´re right, but seeing that I´m a child and have never waltzed in my life, I thought I should concentrate on the steps and not leave you with bruised feet, o´ mighty one who´s had so much more practice," Usagi retorted with sarcasm dripping from her voice, making a face at him, which only made him smirk.

"Since I have had so much more practice, allow me to give you a free lesson," Heero responded. "I lead, you follow. You have nothing to worry about, so relax, look up at me, and smile."

Usagi did as she was told. The one thing she decided she had to give this man credit for was the way he dressed. Instead of the tuxedo most of the men at the party wore, Heero only had on a simple, black dinner jacket over a silver silk shirt and matching black pants. He had neither tie nor bowtie, but that didn´t make him look any less proper in the surrounding, and for the first time that night, she noticed that he had the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen. They were a beautiful shade of Prussian blue, highlighted with a slight glint as he looked down at her. Of course, it could just be the champagne playing tricks on her.

"Good girl," Heero stated, then added after a brief pause, "Now, if only you didn´t break your curfew, you´ll be up early enough tomorrow to get to school on time."

"Seeing as it´s already broken, I suppose I have no choice but to skip school," Usagi replied, smiling.

The waltz came to an end, and Usagi spotted Minako and Rei by the entrance to the ballroom, holding her coat and purse. Minako was staring at her dreamily while Rei rolled her eyes at her friend´s behavior, then signaled to Usagi to go to them.

"I believe your sister wants you to go to bed now," Heero mocked, seeing the silent exchange between the three women.

"I believe Miss Peacecraft wants you to go to bed as well," Usagi answered with a smirk. She had heard a bit of the stories flying around the whole evening, ranging from rumors to facts to everything in between.

"Your suggestion makes it sound as though you´re jealous, child," Heero teased her, successfully making Usagi blush under his gaze for the first time that evening.

"I made no such implication," Usagi responded, then seeing the irritated look on Rei´s face from across the room, she gave Heero a wry smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Yuy."

Heero took her hand, kissing the back of it lightly before letting her go. He watched as she joined up with her sister and his ex-secretary, and almost laughed when her sister practically attacked her, most certainly about the details of her conversation with him. He turned to walk back to where Diamond and Dorothy stood with an angry looking Relena.

"The pleasure, Miss Aino, was all mine," he murmured softly to himself.

*******************************************

End of Chapter 3.

AN: Duo finally made his appearance. ^_~ And I´m sure you guys are shocked with at least one of the pairings I have here. *laughs* I hope that passed off as believable and enjoyable enough for your guys. Please review! I appreciate it! It can be your Christmas present to me. LOL! ^_~


	4. Chapter 4: Job Interviews

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: Any character you recognize belongs to their respective owner.

AN: Another chapter before Christmas. I´m certainly churning these out faster than I thought I would. ^^ Maybe I´ll even get another one in before the new year comes around! LOL!

Eartha: Agreed. ^^ I make the excuse that he had it set up long ago, and he couldn´t change it once the apartment was done and built in. Then again, I suppose if he was so rich, he could. =D Whatever.

Bunny-Butler: I´ll keep that in mind. Thank you. I just thought it´d spice things up if Usagi and Relena got into a verbal disagreement, shall we say? ^_~

Angellus Lee: I´m flattered. ^^;;;; You´ll be seeing more of those attitudes.

Lilaclight: ROFL. May use your line somewhere in the story? The one about Heero taking Usagi as his secretary just for the banter?

the Desert Fox: You just gave me another good line. ^^ And you never know, maybe they will get married. *shrug*

Archangela: Minako´s not quite as subtle as Usagi is, though you can be sure that Relena will appear more often.

Angelight: I have a good reason for being on hiatus. =P Last year of high school explain anything? I suppose since Usagi´s petite, she´s short, but I wouldn´t say unbearably so. Why do I hate Relena? *sigh* Please, let´s not get me started. I really _did_ try to like her. After the first couple episodes, I gave up. She drove me insane and episodes 24 and 25 were the best. For what reason? Guess.

Chibi Shamps: *hugs* It´s been awhile. ^^ I always thought that part of the plot of a romance should include the process of falling in love, though it´s pretty obvious Heero´s interested, if anything. ^_~ Do I really only have 2 fics that include Relena? ^^;;; Guess that shows how much I appreciate her, doesn´t it? *sarcasm* LOL. I need to label my fics. Read with care, they may be unhealthy and cause the side effect of addiction.

Everyone else: Thanks so much for your reviews! They mean a lot to me. And do feel free to criticize. That´s how my writing gets better. Not that the compliments aren´t wonderful. ^_~

Warnings: OOC-ness galore, AU.

On with the story. . . .

********************************************

Chapter 4 – Job Interviews

********************************************

The morning sun hit her closed eyes merciless with its rays, and Usagi, who gave a groan and tried to burrow deeper into her covers, only got a shock when she heard the loud cries coming from outside the bedroom. Warily, she opened her eyes to see the unfamiliar mess in the room where she slept, her mind faintly registering that she wasn´t in her own room at home. She supposed it would take a little while for her to get used to it. For the past couple of days, Minako and Rei had taken her all over Tokyo, showing her all kinds of sights, malls, and restaurants. It was enough to make one´s head spin. Plus, Minako´s definition of 'getting home early´ seemed to mean they´ll get home sometime before one in the morning, which was enough to make Usagi cry over her lost sleep.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open from being pushed roughly from the outside. "I´m going to be so late!!" came the loud cry from Minako as she dashed into the room and snatched up a random purse.

"Good morning to you too," Usagi greeted, clearly amused, as she watched her sister´s usual morning routine.

"Oh, you´re awake, Usa," Minako said, finally noticing that she was no longer talking to herself.

"You´d make a good alarm clock if you weren´t always late yourself," Usagi joked, tossing the covers aside to glance at the clock. It read 10 o´clock in the morning, which caused Usagi to blink a few times.

"You just haven´t adjusted to city life yet," Minako answered the unasked question. "You´re not used to staying up so late every night for three days and having to get up early for work anyway."

"So I´ll learn to live on less sleep?" Usagi asked. "Isn´t it unhealthy? I´m surprised people don´t fall asleep standing up."

Minako laughed, pulling on her trendy violet windbreaker and pulling on a pair of black platform shoes. "We run on lack of sleep," she supplied with a wink. "I have to be at a photo shoot in ten minutes, so I need to leave. If you need anything, talk to Rei. . . or look up Mr. Yuy." With another laugh at the look on Usagi´s face, she dashed out of the apartment, the door slamming shut behind her.

Usagi shook her head in disbelief. She had danced once with the man, and bantered with him. Now, her sister was acting as though there was something going on between them. It reminded her of the reason she hadn´t gotten a boyfriend in high school. Of course, the habit of fending off the male population, at least as potential boyfriends, had become so routine that she had continued to do so through university. It helped that she had taken what high school kids called "nerd courses." She barely had time to finish her homework, have fun with her friends, and still get enough sleep, which might as well be a hobby of hers.

Suddenly, Usagi noticed that the smell of pancakes was in the air, and grinning, she hurried to brush her teeth and wash her face before bouncing out to the kitchen, where Rei, who was already neatly dressed in jeans and a simple white blouse, sat reading the front page news.

"Good morning!" Usagi greeted her new friend.

Rei looked up with a smile at Usagi´s pajamas and messy hair. "Good morning," she replied. "Breakfast is over by the microwave. Do you want something to drink? Coffee?"

Usagi wrinkled her nose as she grabbed the plate of pancakes. "I´m not fond of the taste of coffee," she answered. "Do you something else? Milk?"

"We have two percent milk in the fridge, for coffee," Rei laughed. "You´re not going to find too much healthy food here. We don´t eat in too often because of work and Minako´s 'gatherings´. I run on coffee and Minako runs on adrenaline, so you´ll find plenty of both."

Usagi smiled as she took a seat across from Rei. She picked up the classified sections as she scanned the ads. "Don´t you have to go to work, Rei?" she questioned absentmindedly.

"I quit my old job the day you came," Rei answered truthfully, "and my job interview is today. Speaking of which, I´m sorry Usagi. I promised Minako that I´d introduce you into the company, but seeing as I´ve already quit, I don´t think that´s possible anymore."

Usagi waved a hand in dismissal. "I don´t want to get a job just because you work there. I want to be recognized for what I can do, not who I know," she replied with a grin, glancing up momentarily at Rei, which made the other woman smile.

A few minutes later, Usagi asked Rei for a pen to circle the jobs she may be interested in, then turned to the older woman, who was already washing the dishes. "Rei, do you have any idea why a company as prestigious as Aegis Electronics would advertise in the classifieds? I mean, I thought they´d have people banging down their doors looking for a job," she commented.

"Maybe no one in the company can actually stand their asshole of a boss," Rei muttered, remembering that she had asked that very question when she went into the company for her interview.

Usagi laughed. "Yes, I´ve heard that many bosses of such big companies are a pain to deal with. My best friend Hotaru worked part time for a branch of a large grocery store back home, and she said that her supervisor always had a stick up his ass, so she can´t imagine what the boss was like." She looked thoughtful as she mused aloud, "He was probably some ugly elderly man. I don´t suppose you can get up to such a position early in your life anyways."

Rei made a face at the sink. If Heero Yuy was an ugly elderly man, then maybe she could have tolerated him. At least he´d have a family he´d have to care about and he wouldn´t be so arrogant, his face plastered on every popular magazine in Tokyo.

"I think I´ll try for this job at Aegis," Usagi´s voice broke Rei´s train of thought. "It´s not what I graduated with, but maybe I´ll be able to get into the research department, even if I don´t get chosen for the secretarial job."

Rei´s eyes widened as she hurried from the sink to Usagi´s side, quickly scanning the ad that Usagi had circled. It was clearly and obviously the job she had quit only a few days ago. Rei almost burst out laughing right then and there. Fate certainly had a way of working things out. If anything, she´d bet that Usagi was meant to get into Aegis.

"I´m sure you´ll be great for it," Rei commented, smiling.

"Thanks, Rei," Usagi replied. "I hope the interview will be alright. Ah, do you know any place that´s up for rent around here?"

Rei frowned slightly. "Why do you want to know?"

Usagi smiled apologetically. "It´s not that I don´t love living with you and Minako," she began, "but I don´t think I can live the rest of my adult life with my sister as my roommate. I have no closet; I have no dresser space; the bathroom is pretty much unavailable to me, and I have to wade through a sea of make-up. It´d just be nice to have my own apartment."

"Well, I can´t say I´m happy you´re going to leave," Rei replied, sitting back and crossing her arms, "but I can understand where you´re coming from. I don´t live in the same room as Minako, so I at least have some personal space. But if you live on your own, you´ll have to pay your own rent and all that."

"I´m only looking for a small place," Usagi responded. "And I have a bit of money with me. At least enough for a couple of months."

Rei nodded. "Well, you can try the building down the block. They have mostly one-bedroom apartments. I remember looking at those before Minako and I both decided that we´ll get a big one and share," she informed the younger woman. "Or, if you really get stuck, look in here." She picked up the classifieds and waved them in Usagi´s face.

"I don´t know Tokyo well enough to know where some of these buildings are," Usagi answered, smiling sheepishly.

"I´ll tell you what. Phone Aegis and arrange an interview time sometime today. You grab your resume and those necessary documents and I´ll grab mine. My interview´s in the afternoon, so we´ll go apartment hunting, have lunch, then I´m off to Mr. Winner´s office, and you go to Aegis," Rei decided, her tone firm.

"Yes, Ma´am," Usagi mock saluted Rei as she stood up, earning her a glare from the raven-haired beauty. "Would you like fries with that?"

~*~*~*~*~

It was a couple hours after a hearty lunch that Usagi found it - the perfect apartment. It was small, yes, but it was also cozy and quaint, at least, in her opinion. The building was only three blocks from the Aegis company headquarters, which would be awfully convenient if she really did get the job. It was a little further from Minako and Rei´s place, but Usagi supposed she´d have to sacrifice that little tidbit.

The varnished oak door led into a small foyer, which opened to her right into a small kitchen, already equipped with a white stove and refrigerator. There was no space for a dining table, but there was a counter, which faced the den. The den itself was also connected to the foyer, via the front, and was big enough for placing a couch and an armchair, as well as a television set and some audio equipment. It also led the single bedroom and bathroom to the right and straight out onto a balcony to the front, which faced the busy Tokyo streets. The décor of the apartment was done in a soft peach colour, giving it a homey effect as opposed to her sister´s apartment´s elegance.

With Rei there to do the financial talk, it only took minutes to ensure that Usagi would pay a reasonable amount of rent and that the agreement terms were clear. In that short amount of time, Usagi earned a newfound respect for her sister´s housemate. Rei was efficient, firm, and to the point when it came to dealing with contracts and business, and it was something Usagi admired very much. She made a mental note to ask Rei where she learnt to be so good at that.

When Usagi walked out of that apartment building, she had paid the first month of rent and could move in the very next day, which she planned to do whether or not she got the job at Aegis. She really couldn´t live off her sister and her friend for another couple of months. Plus, she had already paid for her own apartment´s rent, so why not move in earlier and make the best of it?

"Usagi," Rei´s voice interrupted her train of thought. "Do you think you can make it to the Aegis building yourself? The talk took longer than I thought, and I have to catch the next train to the studio if I want to make it on time to the interview."

Usagi grinned. "I´ll be fine. You´ve already done so much for me today," she thanked. "If I get lost, I´ll ask for instructions."

"Don´t worry. Everyone knows where that building is," Rei replied dryly. She glanced at her watch and gave Usagi a wave goodbye. "I´ll see tonight."

Usagi nodded, watching her friend rush through the crowded city streets to the subway station. She looked up and around, then spotted the tall navy blue building that seemed to give off a metallic shine in the afternoon sun. A giant logo of Aegis Electronics glared at her from the side of the building, making her shake her head in amusement. At this rate, she wasn´t going to need instructions. Walking quickly, she headed in the direction of the building, pushing through the crowds.

It was strange. Pushing would normally be rude, but no one seemed to care in the busy streets of Tokyo. And for someone of Usagi´s size, if she didn´t make an effort to get to where she wanted, she´d be swept away in the tides of people.

Usagi finally reached the handsome building, which had a large sign above the revolving front doors that read "Aegis Electronics" in silver calligraphy. She couldn´t help but feel intimidated already. Giving a soft sigh and drawing strength from Minako and Rei´s self-confidence, Usagi managed to walk in the building and up to the front desk.

"Excuse me," she started, making the woman behind the desk look up at her. "I have an appointment for a job interview."

The woman smiled amicably at her, her blue eyes obviously sizing Usagi up, as though she was deciding whether or not the petite woman in front of her spoke the truth. She gave a brief nod and checked a black appointment book on her large mahogany desk, her boyishly cut black hair shaking a little with the movement.

"Miss Usagi Aino?" she guessed, looking up to see Usagi nodding. "Please follow me. My name is Lucrezia Noin."

"It´s nice to meet you, Miss Noin," Usagi replied politely.

The other woman stood up, signaling Usagi to follow her.

~*~*~*~*~

Rei looked down at the piece of paper on which Minako had hastily scribbled the office´s address. The letters were mingled together in a series of loops that was Minako´s signature handwriting, making it hard to read. Luckily, Rei had looked it up herself in the phonebook before she left the house.

Taking a deep breath, Rei walked into the building, which, as compared to Aegis Headquarters, looked considerably less impressive – and considerably less intimidating. The atmosphere, as Rei noted once she got a good look around the busy lobby, was definitely less formal and more welcoming.

She walked up to a desk, where a woman was busily chatting with a man who looked familiar. She waited until the woman noticed her presence, giving her a bright smile which reminded her of Minako´s "photo-shoot smile."

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Hey!" the man suddenly interrupted their conversation, his violet eyes lighting up. "You´re the girl from last night´s party! The one who threatened to throw the contents of the punch bowl in my face!"

Rei, surprised, turned to scrutinize the man, and instantly, she recognized him. "Mr. Maxwell," she greeted him with as much politeness as possible.

"Rei Hino, right?" the braided man continued.

The woman behind the desk coughed, reminding both of them that she was still there. "Duo," she started, giving him a meaningful look, "I think you should stop harassing the lady now."

Duo grinned, "If you want to talk verbal harassment, you need to meet this girl I saw last night," he informed. "She insulted Relena Peacecraft thoroughly and looked completely innocent while doing it. Then, she managed to lure away her date from right under her nose. A nice knock in the head to bring Relena back to Earth from her fantasy world."

Rei startled. Turning to Duo, she asked, "You wouldn´t be talking about Usagi Aino, would you?"

"Hey! How did you know?" Duo returned, surprised.

"She´s my best friend´s sister," Rei answered with a shrug. "And just in case it slipped your mind, I was there last night."

Duo smiled sheepishly, but before he could get more information on the young woman who caught his eye, a blond haired man walked out from the elevator and walked up to the conversing trio.

"There you are!" he shouted, then proceeded to give Duo a look. "Do you know you´re late for the filming of the Sports Drink ad?"

Duo looked at the clock, then practically ran from the desk on which he was perched, leaving the blond man shaking his head. "Sometimes I wonder how he managed to become popular with the acting industry," he muttered to himself, gently rubbing his temple. Giving a sigh, he turned to the woman behind the desk. "Hilde, has a woman named Rei Hino arrived? Minako said that she was very punctual, but she should have been here three minutes ago."

Rei mentally berated herself. What was she thinking? Talking to strangers and acquaintances when she should have been looking for her soon-to-be boss.

The woman named Hilde smiled, then gestured to Rei. "She´s right here, Mr. Winner," Hilde informed her boss. "And she´s been here for the last five minutes, but Duo kept talking about this girl he met last night, who happened to be a friend of Miss Hino´s, so she was sidetracked by us."

Rei was surprised, very surprised. In the business world that she was familiar with, very few people would be nice enough to say such a thing. In fact, Hilde was in a position to say something horrible about her, but she had opted to place the blame on herself and Duo.

"I see," the blond man said with a smile. He turned to Rei and extended his hand. "I´m Quatre Winner, and you must be Miss Rei Hino. Welcome to our humble abode."

Rei decided she immediately liked this man, whose warm blue-green eyes made her feel very comfortable, and his manners were gracious and courteous, unlike her last boss´s. "It´s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Winner. Minako has said many wonderful things about you," she replied, shaking his hand.

Quatre chuckled. "I think you´ll find that your opinion changes once you´ve been around her for awhile," he said. "Wouldn´t you agree, Hilde?"

Hilde laughed, then shook Rei´s hand as well. "I´m Hilde Schbeiker, and I´m the building´s receptionist," she introduced herself with a grin. "Though most of the time, I end up making our clients late for their appointments."

"But it appears to be a habit you´re incapable of breaking nonetheless," Quatre replied good-naturedly. "Shall we go up to my office, Miss Hino? I apologize for not showing up to the Stone affair a few nights ago to meet you, as I had told Minako I would, but there was a sudden surge in paperwork that I had to work through."

Giving Hilde a smile and a small wave, Rei followed Quatre into the elevator to the top floor of the fifteen story building. "It´s quite alright," she answered. "I had actually feared what Minako would say about me to you, had we met under her surveillance."

Quatre laughed as they stepped out of the elevator. He led her down the corridor to a cozy looking office that looked as though a hurricane had come through it. He smiled apologetically at Rei. "As you can see, I need an assistance," he told her. "Please take a seat, wherever you can find one, and I´ll look through your resume and reference letters."

Rei ended up standing and handed him the required documents. She waited silently as he looked through them, biting her lip. Quatre was definitely easier to read than Heero though, and she could already tell that he was impressed with the variety of jobs she had undertaken since her graduation from university. Still, she was not one to relax until the final hurdle had been jumped over.

Finally, Quatre looked up with a pleased grin. "I think, Miss Hino, that you will be very helpful in the office."

Rei let out a sigh of relief and smiled back. "I´m glad you think so, Mr. Winner. I shall do my very best," she replied.

Quatre chuckled. "No need to be so formal. I know the rumors have told you otherwise, but at least in this office here, we´re all friends. The environment is rather relaxed and that makes work easier for everyone," he informed her.

Rei grinned. She had a strong feeling that she was really going to enjoy this job. The two spent the next half an hour working out an agreement about salaries, work hours, and her responsibilities, all of which was done rather quickly, since Quatre was very agreeable and the schedules tended to fluctuate, which Rei was already aware of, being Minako´s best friend. Soon, Quatre had shown Rei around the building and led her into her new office, which was adjoined to his.

"I officially welcome you to Winner Studios," Quatre announced with his warm smile, which Rei was beginning to find both contagious and sweet. "I hope you enjoy working with us."

~*~*~*~*~

" So tell me, Miss Aino, why were you interested in this job?" Noin asked Usagi as she led the young woman through the twisting halls of the large building, trying to make a bit of conversation.

"Actually, I´m not into the secretarial field," Usagi admitted, making Noin give her a knowing look, as though this was routine. "I would rather be in the software design section of your company, seeing as that´s where my interest lies, but the company only had an opening in the secretarial position, so I thought that I would try it out, just to experience the workings of a company as large as Aegis if nothing else."

Noin visibly startled at her response, and Usagi realized that whatever she had been expecting as a reply, that wasn´t it.

"I´m sorry," she apologized quickly. "I´m not downgrading the secretarial field. It´s just not what I´m interested in, and I also have a bad habit of being horribly blunt, as well as sarcastic at times."

Noin chuckled. "Oh, I understand what you mean. I´m just surprised that you´re actually here for work," she explained.

Usagi frowned. "What else would I be here for?" she asked, genuinely confused. "Does the building have a hidden shopping mall or restaurant that I´m unaware of?"

Noin laughed, drawing attention to the duo as they walked down the hall. It was a strange sight indeed. Lucrezia Noin was one of the very few women in the building that had no romantic interest in the boss, and she was known to look scornfully at the young girls who thought getting into Aegis was one of the first steps to snatching the most eligible bachelor in all of Japan. Now, here she was, laughing merrily with a pixie who was obviously here for a job interview. Otherwise, Noin wouldn´t be leading her down the halls.

"No, no, despite our size, we don´t hide other commercial areas at HQ," Noin replied.

"Then why would I be here for something other than work?" Usagi persisted.

"Are you aware of who the boss is?" Noin questioned.

"The person I´ll be working for if I get the job," Usagi guessed.

Noin shook her head. "You´re right, but that´s not all," she informed Usagi. "He´s also been named as the most eligible bachelor in all of Japan for the past five years."

"Oh," Usagi answered, obviously uninterested. "I don´t read those magazines, so I´m unaware of that. I suppose you thought I was here for him?"

"To be honest, yes, and you wouldn´t have been the first or the only one," Noin admitted.

"That´s kind of sick," Usagi commented, wrinkling her nose. "Why would women my age be interested in a man who´s probably somewhere in his fifties, ugly, and balding?"

Noin laughed again as she came to a stop in front of a large wooden door. "You´ve never met the boss," she remarked with a grin.

She opened the door after a brief knock and walked into a spacious office, where a slim woman with shoulder-length mahogany hair was talking to a redhead who looked and dressed as though she had just walked out of public bar. The woman clearly looked relieved when Noin and Usagi walked in. She gathered the few pieces of paper on her desk and stuck them into a hot pink folder before shoving it across the table back at the redhead.

"Thank you for your time, Miss," she gritted out. "We´ll contact you if we need you."

The redhead nodded, then jumped up, grabbed her folder and sauntered out of the room. As soon as she was gone, the woman sighed and rubbed her temple, then turned to eye Usagi. "Another one?" she said irritably. "How old is she? Seventeen?"

Usagi tried not to laugh, but she was unsuccessful. "I must be the only woman on Earth who wants people to get her age right," she joked.

Noin smiled. "Probably," she replied. "Let me have a guess. Twenty-two?"

"Close. Twenty-three," Usagi answered. "And my guess is that the lady who just left was one of those women who didn´t want the job."

"She wanted the job, alright," the woman whose name Usagi still hadn´t gotten cut in. "She wanted the man who comes with the job."

"I still don´t understand the whole attraction to the old and ugly boss," Usagi sighed.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Old and ugly boss?" she echoed. She looked questioningly at Noin.

"Either she´s a really good actress," Noin replied, "or she really doesn´t know who the boss is. And I´m going with the latter. I think you´ll like her, Une."

"My name is Lady Une, and I´m head of the human resources department," the woman introduced herself formally, shaking Usagi´s hand.

"I´m Usagi Aino, and I´m. . .uh, head of the midget group back in university," Usagi replied cheekily, a grin making its way onto her face.

Une raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Midget group?" she asked.

Usagi shrugged. "I´m listed as one of the top ten shortest people in my graduating year," she supplied. "Though it could just be because I refused to wear high heels when all the other girls had ten-inches high platform shoes."

Une grinned. Noin was right once again. This girl really could be the one. She took Usagi´s folder and quickly looked through the documents, satisfied that it was all neat, typed, and in proper order. The girl didn´t have much experience, but Une liked her character, and she knew that Noin did too. And they were both good judges of character. Plus, it seemed like this girl could put the boss in his place. Une respected him, but sometimes, well, most of the time, he was too arrogant, self-assured, and selfish for his own good. The man needed a secretary who was afraid of neither his bark nor his bite.

Usagi watched as Une read her references, nervous about the interview. However, when it came, it was easier than she had thought. Une asked almost the exact same questions as Noin, with only a few more on what she thought would be a reasonable pay and what she wanted to get out of her time at Aegis. Finally, the questions stopped, and Usagi watched in fascination as Une´s eyes turned from strict to friendly.

"I think you´ll be great for this job, Miss Aino," she stated quietly. "Welcome abroad Aegis Electronics."

********************************************

End of Chapter 4.

AN: I think that from here on, the story will take a larger focus on Heero and Usagi, though I could be wrong. Give me your opinion. ^^ Heero and Usa? Or equal focus on everyone? Please review! Merry Christmas again!


	5. Chapter 5: Second Impressions

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: As usual, if you recognize it, it´s not mine. Even if you don´t recognize it, it may not be mine. That said, the plot and writing IS mine.

AN: School´s back, and exams are just around the bend. . So I guess you can all consider this a bit of a cheering-up present. I´m obsessed with "The Two Towers," and too much in love with Legolas for my own good. LOL. Anyways, that´s completely off-topic.

Heart Soul: I think we need to make it bi-weekly. Otherwise, I´d never be able to deliver.

Sailor Grape: I´m sure Rei will get an earful from our dear Usagi when the time comes. =D

the Desert Fox: *brownie points* ^_~ One of the few people who picked up on Wufei having a wife. I like it when my reviewers manage to pick up little things. You´ll find out in this chapter.

Cherry: Probably because I was partially inspired to actually write down my ideas after I finished reading that one. I thought about writing this whole businessman thing after reading Crystal Heart´s "Masquerade." (Don´t ask me where you can find it. I don´t know anymore. It´s an old Usa/Mamo story.) I didn´t actually do it till "Cherry, My Love" popped up and I read it, also reading Judith McNaught´s novel "Whitney, My Love" in the process. I did not, however, plagiarize either authors. Anyone who doesn´t believe me can go check.

Star Flame: Uh. . .sorry, can´t do that. ^^;;; Heero has to be relatively smart. If you were super smart and witty, I don´t think you´d want a boyfriend who´d lose in a snap at verbal chess. ^_~ It´s just not fun.

Lady Espelle: Bravo! I applaud you for guessing one of my intended pairings.

Tenshi-chan: I thought it was normal? Doesn´t the human resources handle all personnel hiring?

JamieGirl: *hugs* That´s so nice of you. ^^ I´m actually not planning (or ever planned) to pursue the arts, but I´ll keep that in the back of my mind.

Krys-chan: *tackle glomp* My God, it´s been so long! Wow, I´m so surprised to see you pop up in my reviews. LOL. Yes, yes, go ahead and post my fics on your site. Tell me when you´re done. I want to see. =D

Mingming: Update within a reasonable amount of time? *nudge nudge* Speak for yourself. =)P I think we´re in the same boat here. It´s Legolas´ fault. He´s too distracting. *ROFL*

Minna-san: I took up a page in responses. O.o I need to start putting these at the end or something. Again, I appreciate all the reviews, and I´m sorry I can´t reply to all of them. Thank you, everyone, for all your suggestions, comments, and encouragements. You guys are the best. ^^ By the way, if anyone is interested, the majority was that I concentrate on Usagi and Heero, so I think you´ll enjoy this chapter. I will, however, do side-tidbits on the other characters, as suggested by many people as well. Thanks again.

Warnings: OOC-ness galore. Beware. Ah yes, the Japanese. "Chibi-chan" more or less means "little one." Chibi = little, and the -chan suffix is used for affection.

On with the show. . .

***********************************

Chapter 5 – Second Impressions

***********************************

"Is that everything?" Heero asked from the head of the long oak table.

Une stood up from her position beside Trowa on Heero´s left. She looked around the table to scrutinize everyone at the board meeting. Wufei was on Heero´s right, and about ten other people, not including the ones already mentioned, were present: the vice-president, the head of secretaries, the head of marketing, etcetera.

"There has been a new group of people promoted, seeing that some have retired. Necessary training is under way," Une reported.

"What of the finances needed for this procedure?" Wufei interrupted.

"I will get those to you as soon as possible," Une replied, nodding in his direction.

Wufei inclined his head in reply, and made a note on his notepad. Une continued, "And I found you a secretary, Mr. Yuy."

This earned numerous smirks from around the table, all of which Heero ignored. He was infamous for switching secretaries all the time, so he didn´t really see the amusement in the matter as his fellow co-workers did.

"The record is a month, and the record keeper is a woman named Rei Hino," Wufei announced, looking up from his notepad.

Calls of bets for the amount of time this new secretary was going to last started being shouted out, and Wufei quickly and deftly recorded the bets. As he surveyed all this, Heero leaned back in his chair with amused tolerance. This seems to be an entertaining point in his co-workers´ lives, so who was he to deprive them of their mindless gambling? Instead, he looked over at Une, whom he knew shared his opinion of this game.

"Do you have her personal information folder?" he asked.

Une raised an eyebrow at him. "How do you know it´s a woman?" she returned.

"Lucky guess," he answered flatly, never doubting his assumption. "Go ahead and tell me it´s actually a man."

"It´s a woman," Une confirmed, handing him a simple, thin, brown folder. "A young one."

This time, it was Heero´s turn to raise his eyebrows at her. "I thought you hated any female specimen under the age of thirty," he stated, opening the folder and flipping through the sheets. His eyes caught the name of his soon-to-be secretary, and anything he may have been feeling lately due to stress and confusion quickly turned to mirth.

Une shrugged. "She had no idea who you were, and I liked her attitude," she responded. "She´s different."

To her surprise, and everyone else´s around the table, Heero gave a short burst of laughter. "She´s different, alright," he agreed, closing the folder and handing it back to Une.

"You´ve met her?" Une asked.

"I have," Heero admitted, his lips twitching into a smirk. "But I never said I was head of Aegis, and I doubt she knows, otherwise, she wouldn´t be here."

After a moment of thoughtful silence in the room, he added, "She should make coming to work interesting," he drawled. Standing up and tucking all of his folders under his arm, he stood up and walked towards the door, fully intending on leaving. "Wufei, whatever the longest time is on that list, put me down for a week more than that," he called out before leaving the room and its occupants staring after him.

"Well," Trowa spoke up once the door closed, "if anything, this is going to be a new experience. Remind me to drop by his office more often."

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi was panicking. That was the only way she could describe how she felt right then. The day before, after having gotten the job, she had quickly gone to Minako´s apartment. No one had been home, so she had picked up her stuff, left a quick note for Rei and Minako, with her new address and phone number, and moved into her new place. Around dinner time, Rei had called to tell her that her own interview had gone well, and that the two of them should go out and celebrate, since Minako had gone out on a date. However, Usagi had refused, saying that she had to unpack everything and get enough sleep for her first day of work, which Rei accepted graciously.

Yet, even with all this preparation, she was still nervous. She pulled her favourite silver blouse from the closet, and looked for a skirt and jacket to match, finally settling the ice pink ensemble that Hotaru had given her for her last birthday. Looking in the mirror, Usagi realized that she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and managed to laugh at herself, enough to cheer her up.

She left her hair loose, picked up her purse, and left the apartment, hurrying through the streets to her workplace.

She walked in through the front doors and smiled brightly at Noin. "Good morning, Miss Noin," she greeted the older woman, who looked up and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Miss Aino," Noin replied. "I´ll take you up to meet the boss."

Usagi nodded, somewhat nervous. Did she look too young, too girly in the pink, too short? Was her new boss going to find her incompetent? Lacking in experience? Unable to help the company?

She was thinking so much that her hands were shaking, a fact which Noin took a note of once they were inside the elevator and on their way to the fifty-ninth floor.

"He´s not that bad," Noin half joked, half reassured Usagi.

The young woman replied with a small smile, "It´s not him, I suppose. This is my first job."

"I´m sure you´ll be fine," Noin replied. "Une and I are both good judges of character, and if we didn´t think you can handle this, we wouldn´t have picked you."

Usagi let out the breath she hadn´t realized she had been holding. "Thank you, that´s very kind of you," she stated.

"Not at all," Noin grinned. "A week later, you may be frustrated enough with him to curse me for selecting you."

Usagi laughed. "Didn´t you say he´s not that bad?" she asked, her good humour coming back.

"Not enough that you should be scared," Noin answered. "Come on, girl. Just take a deep breath. Shaking in fear is not a good first impression."

Usagi nodded, and did as she was told just as the elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached what she thought was the top floor. The doors opened to a very empty hallway, brilliantly lit with flood light. The hall was actually very short, leading out to a large empty space which held a large desk complete with an advanced computer system. Off to one side were large amounts of filing cabinets and bookshelves, and against the other wall was a series of couches and coffee tables, along with stacks of magazines and a coffee maker. To the left of, and behind the desk was a set of double doors, which Noin was now knocking on.

"Mr. Yuy," she called out. "Your new secretary is here."

Usagi startled. Mr. Yuy? It couldn´t be. . . .

Noin opened the doors and led her inside the spacious office, and suddenly, Usagi didn´t know whether to laugh or to go into shock. There, sitting behind the magnificent desk, was her new boss, and no other than the last person who she wanted to work for.

"You can leave now, Miss Noin," he said curtly, nodding in her direction.

Noin seemed surprised that he actually stopped typing to acknowledge their presence, but she quickly did as he said, knowing that Heero was a man who hated to repeat himself. As she passed by Usagi, she gave her a encouraging smile. "Good luck," she said softly as she left and closed the door gently behind her.

"It´s nice to see you again, Miss Aino," Heero began, hiding his amusement as he quickly swept his gaze over her body. "Don´t we look grown up this morning?"

"If I had known that I was going to be working for you," Usagi replied sweetly, "then I would have made sure to dress my part."

Heero raised a mocking eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"I would have come in overalls and a white turtleneck," she answered flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Heero smirked at her behavior, wondering briefly if she realized that he could fire her any second he wanted to. "Don´t dress up on my account, child," he replied.

Usagi sighed and rolled her eyes. "I´m twenty-three," she informed him as civilly as she could, "which is hardly a child, Mr. Yuy. How old exactly are _you_?"

"Thirty-two, which is hardly old enough to need a cane, Miss Aino," Heero pointed out, leaning back to watch her.

"You´re also old enough to be married, which I know you aren´t," Usagi remarked, "so what does age have to do with anything?"

"Therefore, _child_," Heero commented with a smile, "it doesn´t matter how old, or young, you are."

"Well, this _child_ is going to be doing up all your documents from now on, so you better bring out the crayons," Usagi retorted.

"I don´t have any crayons," Heero answered with another infuriating smirk. "Should I give you allowance to buy some? Or do you want me to ring for someone who knows how to cross the streets?"

"You need skill to cross the streets of Tokyo?" Usagi said, pretending to look astonished. "Last I checked, all you needed to do was push and shove."

Heero laughed, and Usagi was surprised to find that she was pleased with herself to have been the cause. "I´ve never noticed," he replied truthfully, regarding her with glinting Prussian blue eyes, which Usagi adamantly resolved to avoid looking into.

"Probably because people part for you like the Red Sea," Usagi teased. "I must the only person in the city of Tokyo who doesn´t know who you are."

"Which makes it all the more refreshing," Heero finished, standing up from his desk and walking towards her.

His frame would be large in most circumstances, but when it was compared to Usagi´s petite one, it was frighteningly so. For every step he took forwards after the distance between them had lessened to ten feet, she took a step back, much to Heero´s amusement. After another thirty seconds, her back was to the wall, and she was staring at him with huge sapphire blue eyes.

"Please don´t come any closer," Usagi requested softly.

Heero ignored her and came up until he was mere inches from her. Putting his hands on the wall on either side of her head, he leaned so close that Usagi could feel his warm breath on her face, smell the slight tanginess of his obviously expensive cologne. Her eyes regarded him frightfully, but he made no more move to continue his advances.

"If I didn´t know better, Miss Aino," he began huskily, "I would think you´re afraid of my proximity to you."

"And if I didn´t know better, Mr. Yuy," Usagi replied softly, unaware that her sweet breath tickled both Heero´s lips and his senses, "I would think you´re trying to seduce me."

"What makes you think I´m not?" Heero answered, staring into Usagi´s eyes, which were now calmer than they had been before.

From the moment their eyes met, Usagi knew she was fighting a losing battle. She was drowning in the depth of his eyes, and the sad thing was, she didn´t even want to save herself. Mentally kicking herself as a reminder that she was his _secretary_, and that he probably had enough women, not including Miss Peacecraft, lined up at his door, and that she really was a child compared to him, inexperienced and naïve, Usagi forced herself to respond, rather lamely, "Because you should not get involved with your employee."

Yes, that really was reason enough, but ever since the first time he had laid eyes on her, her exquisite beauty, her charming smile, her witty disposition, he had been drawn to her. He wanted her. That was reason enough, in his mind, to seduce any willing woman.

A coughing sound from the doorway interrupted whatever Heero was going to say next. Angrily, he whirled around to face the intruders and give them the reproach of a lifetime when he realized that the people at his door were none other than Trowa and Wufei, who were both looking in on the scene with restrained amusement and shock.

"Have either of you ever heard of knocking?" he snapped irritably, glaring at his friends.

"Since you never answer the door, we thought it would be a waste of time," Wufei answered. He glanced at Usagi, who blushed because of the scene they had walked in on. She didn´t even know whether to be thankful or embarrassed.

"Your new secretary?" Trowa asked, studying Usagi as well. Contrary to Usagi´s belief that they were probably thinking she was another one of those girls who came for the boss, Trowa and Wufei were actually wondering what kind of woman could make Heero step across that line between personal and professional relationships.

"Hn," Heero grunted, still annoyed at being interrupted. "Meet Trowa Barton, head of research, and Wufei Chang, head accountant. Trowa, Wufei, this is Miss Usagi Aino, my secretary." He glared at them, but both men ignored him.

"It´s nice to meet you," Wufei greeted graciously, shaking her hand.

"You as well, Mr. Chang," Usagi replied. Then she looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you know an Ami?"

"Ami. . .?" Wufei prompted, now fully focused on the woman in front of him.

"Well, her maiden name was Mizuno," Usagi supplied, "but she´s married now. I didn´t go though, because it was during the week of university exams."

Wufei chuckled. "Doctor, plays a killer game of chess?" he continued.

"Yes!" Usagi exclaimed. "You _are_ the one, aren´t you?"

"What," Heero interrupted flatly, not liking the extreme friendliness that seemed to have developed in a matter of seconds between his new secretary and his old friend, "is going on?"

"It appears that your secretary is acquainted with my wife," Wufei informed him with a grin.

"I knew it! You looked exactly like the man Ami described in her emails," Usagi stated triumphantly. "I haven´t seen Ami since high school! You must bring her sometime!"

"Better yet," Wufei responded dryly, "I´ll give you her cell phone number, and you keep your girly reunions away from me."

"What, afraid that the tears of joy will drown you?" Usagi mocked lightly, grinning at him.

Wufei smiled and shook his head before strolling over to Heero´s desk to scribble down the number for her. She was definitely going to make life interesting around the office. On the spur of the moment, he asked, "Do you want to come to dinner tonight? I feel like surprising Ami."

Much to Trowa´s amusement, it looked as though Heero was debating whether to murder Wufei on the spot or kick them both out of his office so he could continue what he had been doing before.

"I can´t," Usagi answered apologetically. "I want to, but I already promised to dine with my sister and her friend tonight."

"That´s fine," Wufei responded wryly, glancing at Heero. "At least I wouldn´t have to fear for my life."

Usagi merely gave him a strange look, not having caught the dark glare on Heero´s face since he was standing behind her, then, dismissing the comment, she turned to Trowa. "It´s nice to meet you too, Mr. Barton."

"Likewise," Trowa replied, shaking her hand.

"I´ll leave you to your discussions," Usagi began. "Mr. Yuy, could you please tell me what needs to be done. . . on the _computer_."

Heero smirked, knowing that she didn´t want him to mention the crayons discussion. He grabbed a couple of folders off his desk and handed them to her. "I need those notes typed up formally, and the second folder has a contract that needs to be proofread and prepared for signing," he stated monotonously.

Usagi nodded, then bowing quickly to the three men, she left the room, wondering to herself how Heero could change so quickly from being seductive to businesslike. Immediately following that line of thought, she kicked herself again for falling under his spell. She did _not_ plan on falling in love, and if she did want to, Heero Yuy would be the _last_ man she should consider. He was arrogant, condescending, and much too dangerous for someone like her. So, instead of thinking about those smothering eyes, she should consider the best way of letting him know that she wanted to switch into Trowa´s department.

~*~*~*~*~

"Never knew that was your type," Trowa commented brief seconds after the door closed. The room was more or less soundproof, with the heavy wooden doors and thick walls.

Ignoring the bait, Heero asked, "What are you two doing here?"

He sat back down and continued to type, hoping that they would leave if he acted the way he usually did. It was too bad that Wufei and Trowa had known him too long for that.

"It´s not a crime to visit a friend in the office," Trowa replied.

"It is now," Heero retorted, glaring at them.

"Really, Yuy," Wufei joined in with a smirk, "it´s not right to mix professional and personal relationships."

"Are the two of you quite done?" Heero questioned darkly.

"We will be once you explain," Trowa answered sensibly, shoving his hands into his pant pockets.

"I don´t think any explanation is necessary, unless, of course, you´re blind," Heero responded tonelessly.

"She´s your secretary," Trowa pointed out.

"And?" Heero prompted, leaning back in his chair.

"And you hate getting involved with your employees," Wufei finished.

"So?" was the next short answer from Heero.

"So we want to know what´s gotten into you this morning," Trowa said.

Heero shrugged. "Let me take a trip down Memory Lane," he responded sarcastically. "I recall taking a piece of buttered toast and two cups of coffee. Other than that, the usual things are _in_ me, like organs and tissues."

"Now, I wish she was back in here, because she´d have a witty comment for this and we don´t," Wufei stated with a sigh.

"What´s the real reason you´re here?" Heero asked.

"Wufei has some financial issues he wants to resolve with you," Trowa answered.

"Wufei can speak for himself, thank you very much," said-man replied dryly. "I´m also here to tell you that my wife wants to hold a charity ball next Saturday at the estate. The hospital needs money, and she wants to help raise it for research and equipment. I´m helping her put out the invitations, but beware that donations are necessary."

"Am I to presume that this is an invitation?" Heero said, lifting a sardonic eyebrow, "Or did you want me to help you put out the invitations?"

"Both," Wufei returned with a shrug. "And you can bring a date, of course."

"Unless I´m mistaken, it won´t be Miss Peacecraft this time around," Trowa observed with a smirk of his own.

"And unless I´m mistaken, you will be out of a job if you don´t start keeping your opinions to yourself," Heero replied, obviously irritated with his longtime friend. He turned back to his screen, which had flashed to a screensaver in the time he had spent talking to Wufei and Trowa. He entered the password necessary to get back into the file he was working on, then swore under his breath as he stood up.

Trowa, who´d been about to retort, glanced at him. "What now?"

"I forgot to give her the password to get into the system," Heero answered blandly, stalking out of the room.

Surprising enough, Usagi was seated at the desk and typing away at the notes Heero had told her to type up.

He frowned darkly. "How," he started dangerously, "did you get into the system?"

Usagi literally jumped when she heard his voice, then turning to meet his foreboding glare, she smiled weakly. "I guessed the login and the password?" she asked rather than stated, making Heero eye her suspiciously.

"How?" he repeated.

Usagi sighed. "You need a better security system," she muttered, staring down at her lap.

"Meaning?" Heero prompted.

Usagi looked up to find Trowa and Wufei looking at her curiously, waiting for her answer. She winced. "I half hacked, half cracked the password," she admitted.

Instead of blowing up at her like Usagi expected any normal employer to do, Heero merely stared at her in disbelief. Usagi glanced sideways uncertainly to meet his surprised stare, as well as Trowa and Wufei´s looks of disbelief.

"Why?" Heero continued.

"I thought it´d be challenging, and fun, I guess," Usagi confessed, feeling like a criminal on trial. "Plus, I didn´t want to interrupt whatever discussion you were having."

"I don´t believe this," Wufei breathed. "You cracked Aegis´s password system?"

Usagi nodded slowly, not quite sure if she was in trouble or not. Mentally, she berated herself for doing it. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea.

"We have to put her in the research department," Trowa suggested, turning to Heero, which made Usagi´s head snap up. "This kind of talent is rare, and currently, we need it."

Usagi looked hopefully at Heero, whose face was now unreadable. "No," he stated plainly.

"No?!" came outraged and shocked cries from the other three people present.

"I´m not hiring another secretary," Heero decided, staring hard at Usagi, his eyes now frigid with lack of emotions.

Feeling an overwhelming annoyance with the arrogant man in front of her, Usagi glared back at him. "You don´t hire another secretary. Miss Une does," she pointed out.

"I pay for her salary, therefore, I´m the one who hires her," Heero replied.

Without another word to anyone else, he stalked back into his office and almost slammed the door shut. Outside, Wufei and Trowa both stared at the doors in silence.

"What´s shoved up his ass?" Wufei frowned, his short temper obviously lighted by the earlier conversation.

"I´d say a stick, but I´m assured that it´s something bigger," Usagi answered dryly, spinning around in her chair to face the keyboard. She began to type at a furious speed, an uncharacteristic frown marring her pretty face.

"You´re not really here for secretarial work, are you?" Trowa observed quietly.

Usagi sighed. "You have two guesses to that yes or no question," she replied with a brief smile in his direction.

"There´s something wrong with this situation," Trowa informed her, making Usagi momentarily stop her work.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that Heero´s usually on the look-out for talent like yours. He wants these gifted people to work where their skills will give him the best advantage over any other competitor," Trowa explained. "Hence, it´s really strange that he refused to switch you to the research department."

Usagi turned thoughtful, slowly taking in Trowa´s explanation while the man exchanged a knowing look with Wufei. Usagi may be clueless, but they weren´t. Yet, at the moment, it was worth seeing how this drama will play out to keep Usagi temporarily at her secretarial post. Giving the young woman a brief goodbye, the two men headed back to their own work stations.

~*~*~*~*~

"Closer!" the cameraman yelled at the couple standing in front of the colourful backdrop.

Minako complied by leaning against Duo. She glanced briefly at the clock in the studio and noted that they were supposed to have finished fifteen minutes ago. Rei was not going to be pleased because she was going to be late. . .again.

"Great, that´s a wrap!" the cameraman called out, much to everyone´s obvious relief.

Duo let out a big sigh of relief and released Minako from his embrace. "Tell me again why I´m shooting this poster for shampoo?" he said, almost in a daze from the bright flashes.

"Because I´m gorgeous and you couldn´t resist getting closer," Minako flirted with a grin.

Duo grinned back, walking with her to the make-up artist where all the powder and whatever can be taken off. "Of course," he agreed, "we look good enough to attract any kind of attention for any ad."

As the hair stylist undid her hair, Minako suddenly spoke, "It´s too bad my sister never liked this industry. Otherwise, she and I would make a knockout pair too."

"Really?" Duo replied. "How come she doesn´t like modeling? Or acting? I thought most girls dreamed of being stars."

"Usagi isn´t ´most girls´," Minako answered with a shrug. "Her ambition when she was seven was to master the use of a slingshot, and she was the archery team´s best shooter in high school. Then, she got hooked onto the brain-numbing world of computers, and would rather be taking apart my VCR than sitting through makeovers."

Duo, genuinely interested, turned to face the beautiful model. "Your sister´s name is Usagi?" he asked.

"Yea, you might have met her. She was at the Stone party," Minako answered.

Duo´s face broke into a huge grin. "Do you think that, maybe, I could have her phone number?" he said hopefully.

Minako raised an elegant eyebrow at him. "Am I to understand, Duo, that you have a crush on my computer-crazed sister?" she teased. "You do realize that you know about as much as I do when it comes to those electric whatcha-ma-callits."

Duo put a hand to his heart, pretending to look hurt at Minako´s comment, and looking quite convincing while he was at it. "I´m heartbroken to think that you disagree with my choice in love, sweetheart," he responded. "I´ll have you know that true love does not need common obsessions between two people."

Minako laughed despite the brief hurt she felt at the knowledge that her longtime friend in the industry was interested in her sister too. For a second, she wondered what it was about Usagi that attracted the men. "Tell me something, Duo," she started with a smile, "what is it about my sister? Why do you like her? What did she say that made you interested?"

Duo shrugged. "She´s really pretty, as beautiful as you, but seemingly more touchable, warmer. She doesn´t have that awe-aspiring feeling that surrounds her, I think," he answered thoughtfully. "I don´t know why I like her. I mean, she´s funny, and smart, and cute. Unfortunately, she didn´t really say anything that would suggest she likes me too. In fact, she said she could call an ambulance for me."

"Sounds like something my sister would say," Minako responded with a giggle. "You know something? We´re supposed to have dinner tonight. Do you want to come? You can enjoy more of her. . .uh. . .insightful comments."

Duo brightened at the prospect. "Do I ever want to!" he exclaimed. "Any way it could just be me and her?"

"I´ll have to see," Minako replied. "I think she was looking forward to a nice evening with me and Rei."

"You could tell her you´re sick," Duo suggested.

"She´d cancel dinner," Minako pointed out. "No one goes out to dine by themselves."

"Wait a second," Duo backtracked, "did you say that a 'Rei´ was going too?"

"Yes I did," Minako confirmed. "She´s my best friend."

"I´ve met her," Duo told her. "She threatened to pour the contents of the punch bowl on my head."

Minako laughed merrily. "That´s sounds like Rei alright!" she said. "In this case, you just might be able to get that dinner date with Usagi. All you have to do is piss off Rei enough to have me drag her away."

"Sounds like a plan," Duo nodded, holding out his hand.

Minako shook it firmly. "Count on it, Duo. You can´t fail when you have the world´s best matchmaker on your side," she announced, hoping that Usagi wouldn´t get too mad.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero slammed the folder about the day´s financial records shut, frustrated with his lack of concentration on his work. Normally, he could have finished today´s routine work an hour ago, and would currently be looking at plans for tomorrow´s schedule. However, the only thing he was able to accomplish today was see the image of a pair of laughing sapphire eyes in his head, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn´t get the vision of the petite blonde in his arms, her luscious hair spilled over her shoulders, out of his head.

_I´m lusting after my own secretary,_ he thought with bitter irony as he got up to fetch himself a cup of coffee. Him, who was adamant about keeping personal feelings out of the office. Him, who could crook his finger and have dozens, if not hundreds, of women flinging themselves at him.

He sat down and gave up trying to get back to work. Instead, he let his thoughts take the direction they had wanted to since the second she had appeared with Noin in his office. He would not, even for a moment, consider the thought that he might be falling in love with her. Love was for idiots. He wanted to smell the fragrance of her hair, feel her body against his, stare into those twinkling eyes, hear her voice as she threw his remarks in his face. . . .

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought, and reluctantly, he looked up, a bit surprised to find the subject of his thoughts in the doorway. She closed the door behind her, and with quiet and natural grace, walked up to his desk with the folders she had been assigned to work on throughout the day.

"This is a final copy of the contract," she told him softly, the teasing and bantering tone gone from her voice. "And those are the notes you wanted, and the research you needed on Workworld´s financial status. This one is a folder from Mr. Chang who said those are the company´s financial issues he wants to discuss with you, and-"

Heero held up a hand, silencing her. He studied her for a long moment before speaking. "Are you mad at me, chibi-chan?" he asked quietly, almost gently.

Usagi startled at the affectionate nickname, but quickly regained her composure. "No," she answered. "Should I be?"

"You obviously did not want to become a secretary," he pointed out. "I checked. You graduated in computer science, top of your class."

"Great access to information, being the boss of such a powerful company," she commented tonelessly.

Heero smirked and tapped one of the many folders on his desk. "Actually, chibi-chan, you had that down in your resume," he replied in a voice that contained hidden amusement. "I didn´t have to work that hard for the information."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "I´m flattered to know you wanted to have information about me," she responded sarcastically. "Now, can I please finish telling you about this massive folder from the research department so I can leave?"

"I´m as heartbroken as you to know that we must part so early," Heero returned dryly. "And no, you can just leave the folder on my desk."

"Yes, I´m sure that among your many amazing abilities, you can also read," Usagi stated, doing as he had said.

As she put the aforementioned folder down on his large desk, Heero reached out and clamped his hand over her petite one, preventing her from stepping back and making her head snap up to stare at him.

"Do you hate me so for refusing to switch your position?" Heero questioned in a low tone, his voice sending unexplainable shivers down Usagi´s spine.

"I don´t hate you, Mr. Yuy," Usagi corrected, shifting uneasily under his piercing eyes. "I´m just. . .disappointed."

Heero continued to study her face, the flawless camellia skin, high cheekbones, full pink lips, and huge sapphire eyes that had laughed with him this morning, but were now missing their spark. He breathed in deeply, wondering if his refusal to put her in the research department was the cause. He also pondered why he was so adamant about keeping her here, when she would help the company so much if she was under Trowa´s wing.

"I´ll think about it, chibi-chan," he decided, lifting her small hand to his lips and brushing them over her knuckles.

Usagi´s eyes lit up. "You mean?"

Heero chuckled, seeing her childish reaction to his words. "Don´t break anything on your way out, child," he mocked her.

"Of course not, your lordship," Usagi replied, failing to keep the sarcasm from her voice. "I would never dream of needlessly breaking one of your many priceless artifacts."

"But you have dreamed of breaking one over my head?" Heero teased, leaning back comfortably in his chair, satisfied that the glint in her eyes were back.

"No," Usagi answered, biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud. "I have merely envisioned myself throwing something unbreakable at your head."

"I´m flattered, chibi-chan," Heero drawled. He gave a curt nod towards the door. "Don´t you have a dinner date with your sister?"

Usagi nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Yuy, I´ll see you tomorrow," she said with a brilliant smile in his direction.

********************************************

End of Chapter 5.

AN: Longest chapter yet. ^^ So now that I´m done cheering you up with this little chapter, cheer me up and review! Now, excuse me while I go finish my calculus work. *grumbles*


	6. Chapter 6: Triangles

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: Don´t own it. Never did; never will. Glad we got that straight.

AN: As promised, the next chapter once my exams are over, and they were done yesterday. *sigh* The result? I think I did alright on most of them. At least I felt pretty confident about the calculus one, and that was the one I was really worried about. I messed up one of the questions on the Algeo exam, and one question on the Biology exam (that I know of). Otherwise, I guess we´ll see when Monday rolls around. Meanwhile, I hope this effort on another on my part will be worthwhile and enjoyable. Thank you all for waiting.

the Desert Fox: I´m sorry. ^^ No, I´m not a girl scout. I never was. Next time, we´ll settle for kudos. And it doesn´t get annoying for Ami, I suppose. It gets routine. *laughs*

Celestial Dreamblaze: Ha ha, wouldn´t I have to up the rating then? ^^;;; Then again, there probably _will_ be a scene like that. It´s tradition. ^_~ Thank you for all the kind comments.

DuoLover: Yes it is. I´m such a Heero/Usa shipper, it´d take a lot of persuasion plus a tad to make me change it. Triangles are something I´ve never written though, so we´ll see how it turns out.

Saturnpyroprincess: Either that or they both have big mouths that they can´t keep shut around each other. LOL.

Sunshine Fia: Makoto will be included, because I came up with a good subplot involving her. ^^ As for the Outers, I´ll have to see. Maybe they´ll make a cameo somewhere.

Angellus Lee: Ha ha, I was reading fics when I was supposed to be studying too, so don´t feel so guilty. ^^

sapphireskies: He said he´ll think about it. That´s 50% yes. ^^ Besides, we don´t know whether or not something good will come from this.

Pixi: Awww. . .all of you are so nice. Someone else said that to me too.

Cheska: Calculus is okay. It´s no bird course, that´s for sure, but it´s not as horrible as a lot of people make it out to be. At least, IMO.

LunaPrincess: Wow, coming from you, all those comments are really flattering. ^^;;; I don´t know what to say, except thank you. The sarcasm was rubbed off on me from a friend. At least I´m putting it to a good use, right? *laughs*

RixiVixi aka Vixen: Another set of flattery from another great author. O.o I´m at a loss for words. I´m not quite so sarcastic as I made Usagi. ^^;;; Sarcasm can be biting, so I try to keep it at a minimum as a person. I hope you don´t mind more supporting roles, because a couple are coming right up.

Lilaclight: That comment about a tongue can be rather ambiguous, especially since we´re discussing Heero and Usa. ^_~ Duo will play a major role in Heero and Usa´s relationship, so long as my ideas don´t change on me.

siren: Calculus isn´t that bad. ^^;;; But don´t tell my calc teacher I said that. =\

BlueFrost: Can you really imagine Trowa as a talkative person? Even in his late twenties? =\

Heart Soul: *sigh* Ah yes, the joy in the people´s density when it comes to love. Sakura and Syaoran, Mizuki and Sano, Hikaru and Akari. . . Stories drag out so nicely when it happens. ^^;;;

Sailor Grape: Bits of entertainment, but not as drawn out as the moment in Heero´s office. ^_~

Tenshi-chan: As Rei would soon tell you, there´s a big difference between Heero and Quatre´s characters. ^^ Besides, Quatre didn´t post an ad. It was more of an appointment since Minako recommended Rei.

Ming Ming: Legolas would be hot anywhere. ROFL. I do want to finish up SW at least before I hit university. We´ll see how the summer turns out. Maybe my hermit habits will kick in again. Well, Wufei being an accountant was spur of the moment. I needed an accountant, and I figured he´d be more believable than Duo. ^^;;; I thought Usagi was sarcastic enough when speaking with Heero in the office. Hmm. . . unless you mean the scenes where she was kind of afraid of Heero´s advances? By the way, I do enjoy my sleep. =P

The Big Cheese: LOL. I can try for one every 2 to 3 weeks, so long as not much is going on in my life. We´ll see. ^^

Minna-san: Thank you all for the lovely reviews. I never thought I´d have that much with this story. ^^;;; Honestly speaking, I was afraid people will think "oh, just another Heero/Usagi story" and those who do read it will decide the characters are too OOC for their liking. But I´m very glad for all your encouragement. Yes, I know I say this every chapter, but I feel it necessary. Arigato!

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore. And _shunshou_ is the Japanese for "spring evening".

Let´s get the show on the road!

**********************************************

Chapter 6 – Triangles

**********************************************

Usagi hurried through the front entrance of a sophisticated looking restaurant, berating herself for having left the little piece of paper on which she had scribbled the name and address on her desk at work. She had to stop and ask for directions a few times, and was now late for her dinner with Rei and Minako. Knowing Rei´s character, she wasn´t going to be pleased.

Looking around the crowded restaurant, Usagi finally spotted a raven-haired woman sitting by herself in the middle of the restaurant, impatiently tapping her long fingernails on a dinner table. Minako was nowhere to be found, and Usagi mentally winced at the thought of facing what appears to be a very irritated Rei. She walked quietly up to the table. Unfortunately, Rei still spotted her before she reached it.

"Finally!" the violet-eyed woman cried out, completely exasperated. "I can´t believe you and Minako!"

Usagi smiled sheepishly as she seated herself beside the other woman. "Lack of punctuality runs in the family," she joked lightly.

"Not funny, Usagi," Rei replied flatly. "Do you have any idea how many times I´ve been stared at since I got here?"

"How many guesses do I have?" Usagi returned, picking up one of the menus on the table.

Rei glared at her darkly. "At least one person seems to be in a good mood," she commented.

Usagi looked up from the menu, smiling brightly. "I had the most wonderful day," she admitted.

Rei stared at her in disbelief. "Hold on, let´s backtrack," she started. "You got a job working at Aegis for Heero Yuy, came back from your first day of work, and thought it was wonderful?!"

"Don´t sound too convinced or anything," Usagi replied, laughing at the look on Rei´s face.

"Usagi, that was my job before you came to Tokyo, and to be quite honest, Heero Yuy is the most insufferable, despicable, annoyingly irritating man I´ve ever had the displeasure of meeting, let alone work for," Rei stated. "How could you possibly have found it wonderful?"

Usagi blinked, then frowned slightly. "Hold on, Rei," she began, "you worked in my current position before I came? That means that ad was in the newspaper because you quit."

Rei nodded.

"Then why didn´t you tell me that I would be working for Mr. Yuy, of all people?!" Usagi exclaimed suddenly. "Then I wouldn´t have gone for this job!"

"I thought you knew already. Besides, didn´t you just say you had a good day?" Rei asked, now confused.

"I did, but it´s not because of who I´m working for. It´s because I cracked his password system, so now he´s thinking about switching me to research," Usagi answered with a grin.

Rei laughed. "The look on his face must have been priceless," she replied.

"Most definitely," Usagi responded, making a face. "It´s one I wouldn´t want to see again even if I was paid, let alone having to pay myself."

"I wouldn´t know. I´ve never pissed him off," Rei said, shrugging her shoulders. "He didn´t even get mad when I yelled at him right before I quit."

"Probably another reason why you hated him," Usagi mused aloud.

"Why?" Rei prompted.

"Because you could never piss him off," Usagi answered simply. "Emotionless people do get annoying after awhile."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "And pray tell, Usagi, how many different emotions did you see today on Heero Yuy?" she retorted. "Because I think in the course of a month, I can name two: irritation and amusement, three if indifference qualifies as an emotion."

Usagi blinked, then, putting down her menu, she started to count off her fingers, "Amusement, happiness, passion, irritation, anger, sadness, regret, satisfaction, and . . .I think that´s it," she muttered.

"Are you trying to be sarcastic?" Rei questioned, gaping in disbelief.

"I´ve lost my touch," Usagi replied dryly. "Darn it. Remind me to practice on more unsuspecting victims."

Rei shook her head. "Men," she muttered. "Another thing to add to the list of things to hate about them."

"PMS?" Usagi joked.

Rei´s lips twitched into a smile. "No, just mood swings. Then again, maybe it´s just Heero Yuy. I seem to have no problem with Mr. Winner. He´s polite and courteous enough. I don´t know how he does it. He organizes all of the models´ schedules, have meetings with different companies, draws up contracts with them, and still has time to run around apologizing for his obnoxious models´ misconduct," she said.

"Speaking of which, how was work?" Usagi asked.

Rei smiled and proceeded to talk about the basic paperwork that she was in charge of, at least until she became familiar with the industry´s workings. In the mix of description, there was also a series of good things about her current boss, which did not escape Usagi´s notice. She was about to comment on that when a blonde whirlwind whipped by their table and plopped herself down in one of the seats.

"Sorry I´m late," Minako chirped.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Late does not begin to define your tardiness," she muttered.

"It´s always been a family joke," Usagi supplied, much to Minako´s chagrin, "that whenever you´re supposed to meet Minako somewhere, you just show up half an hour late. Then, you´ll be on time to meet her."

"Alas, the ruthlessness with which you treat me breaks my heart, my dearest sister," Minako replied, placing both of her hands over her right breast as though Usagi´s words had seriously wounded her.

"The heart, Minako, is tilted to the left side of your body," Usagi informed her, a smirk threatening to break out on her lips. "Besides, I´m your _only_ sister."

"Which is why you´re such a special person to her!" a male voice suddenly interrupted. "Right, Minako?"

All three women look up at the source of the sound, two were surprised while the remaining one was pleased with the scheme she had thought up. Having Duo "accidentally" bump into them at the restaurant would squash all suspicions that she had planned this, and she was not ready to have both her roommate and her sister mad at her.

"Duo! What a surprise!" Minako exclaimed. She quickly shifted over, leaving the chair next to Usagi empty. "Are you here alone?"

"Yup!" Duo replied, taking his seat and grinning his most charming smile at Usagi, completely missing the look of pure annoyance that flashed across Rei´s face.

"The least you could do is wait until you´ve been invited to sit before helping yourself to our table," the raven-haired woman said, irritation evident in her voice.

"Aw, Rei, don´t be so mean," Usagi tried to say with a straight face. "After all, Mr. Maxwell must be awfully bored, lonely, and unoccupied to come out and dine by himself." She raised an eyebrow at Minako, who smiled nervously.

Rei rolled her eyes as Duo started to flirt shamelessly with Usagi, whose lips twitched in amusement. She seemed to have a good comeback for every one of his attempts, and some of them were rather cutting. Duo, however, took no offense and continued to try and hold her attention, which Rei could tell was amusing Usagi, if anything. Meanwhile, Minako was staring off into space as she no doubt dreamed of becoming a famous matchmaker as well as a world-renowned model. Rei sighed. This was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~

Quatre rubbed his temples as he tried to finish organizing Relena´s schedule for the following week. If he had a list of "the top ten most annoying things that you have to do every week", organizing Miss Relena Peacecraft´s schedule would be right up there with cleaning your pet turtle´s tank. Relena was a popular model, and she was wanted for a lot of photo shoots and interviews every week. It didn´t help that she was also extremely confident in her own popularity. She had times set aside for dates, hair appointments, nail appointments, the tailor, the social events, and everything else that one can imagine. Quatre was not cheering for joy at the chance to change Relena´s vanity time and habits. She made money for the company, and as long as she was popular, she would continue to do so. Much as Quatre hated to admit it, Relena was popular because she was beautiful, so he would have to sacrifice his own time to let Relena have hers.

Sighing, he penciled in another time slot for an interview that a national television studio wanted to have with Miss Peacecraft. No sooner had he written that down, the phone started to ring. Normally, somebody outside would pick it up before his phone even gave a chirp, but it was late now, and other than himself, no one was even in the building.

"Hello, Winner Studios, Quatre Winner speaking," he said into the phone, which he tucked between his ear and his shoulder in order to do both things at once.

"Quatre?" a female voice replied. "Do you remember me?"

Quatre blinked and stopped his work. This sounded more like a personal phone call, for the voice was vaguely familiar to him.

"I´m sorry, but I don´t," he answered politely. "May I ask who´s speaking?"

The woman on the other end laughed. Her voice was distinctly female, but it sounded low for a woman. "I should have known that you wouldn´t remember. After all, it´s been more than ten years," she stated. "It´s me, Makoto Kino."

Quatre frowned, trying to remember where he had heard the name before. Makoto Kino, it was vaguely familiar. No, it was more than familiar. His eyes widened as memories flooded back through his mind.

"Makoto?" he echoed aloud. "Not that I´m not happy to hear from you, but I thought you went to France."

"I did," Makoto laughed. "My restaurant has been doing so well that a Monsieur Dupont decided to sponsor its expansion. I decided that the first branch should be in Japan, so I came back to Tokyo today."

"Well, that´s very good to hear," Quatre replied with a smile. "We need to catch up sometime."

"We do," Makoto agreed heartily. "But first, I need you to suggest a hotel until I can find an apartment."

"Speaking of finding, how did you find this number?" Quatre asked. "I certainly don´t think my studio is famous enough to be known in France."

"I was looking up Winner in the phone book to find your number," Makoto explained, "but it wasn´t listed. I did end up finding a Winner Studios though, so I decided to give it a shot."

"It´s lucky I stayed late then," Quatre commented.

Makoto laughed. "Now, about that hotel," she prompted.

"Where are you? I´ll pick you up. It´s late right now, so you can stay with me until tomorrow morning at least, unless you don´t mind staying until you can find an apartment," Quatre offered.

"I´m at the airport, Terminal E, and unless I´ll be in your way, yes, that offer sounds great," Makoto replied.

"Alright, I´ll meet you at the front gate in an hour," Quatre said before both of them hung up.

He smiled to himself as he gathered all the notes and paperwork he had to finish before stuffing them all in a folder. They could all be done at night once he went home anyways. Reaching into his wallet, he pulled up an old photo that he and Makoto had taken long ago, back when they were in high school. Her shoulder-length brown hair fell loosely in waves around her face, her bright green eyes exquisite. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the neck of the lanky, timid blond in the picture, and they were both smiling at the camera.

How much would she have changed from the young woman he remembered? From the phone call, it didn´t sound like she was very different, but they hadn´t really talked about anything important anyways. Laughing silently to himself at the irony of the last twenty minutes, Quatre decided that he had to thank Relena the next morning. If it hadn´t been for her, he never would have gotten Makoto´s phone call.

~*~*~*~*~

Wufei stirred his after-dinner tea as he studied his wife from across the dining table. Her chin-length black hair framed her heart-shaped face, and in the light of the chandelier above the table, it looked almost blue. A pair of reading glasses was perched on her nose, hiding her deep blue eyes, and she had her face buried in the pages of a report.

Bemused, he spoke up. "Woman, can that not wait until after dinner?" he asked lightly. "You work more than I do, and I have been told I´m a workaholic."

Ami looked up briefly from the report to give him a look. "It´s Ami, not 'woman´," she corrected automatically, making Wufei grin. "And I thought you wanted to play chess after dinner, so I want to finish reading this. I have to operate on this child tomorrow."

Wufei shrugged. "Chess can wait. I´ll beat you someday," he stated. "Men are better than women at strategies."

"Actually," Ami commented, smiling at him, "according to a recent study, women can multi-task much better than men, which would actually make us better at strategies involving more than one group of people." Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she added, "I do believe, however, that school results show that the boys are-"

Wufei laughed, interrupting the speech she was making on the workings of the human brain. "I was trying to provoke an answer," he admitted, "but not a scientific speech."

Ami smiled sheepishly. "Well, since you decided that you don´t want to play chess tonight, I suppose the report can wait until after dinner," she decided. After a brief pause, she continued, "Is there something you want to tell me? You´ve been sitting there looking like a Cheshire Cat all evening."

"A Cheshire Cat?" Wufei echoed, frowning. "I do not."

"Do too," Ami argued. She took off her glasses and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

Wufei rolled his eyes. "I hate women," he grumbled.

"I know," Ami grinned.

Wufei sighed. "I met someone at work today. She was supposed to come and have dinner with us, but she turned me down because she already agreed to have dinner with her sister."

Ami wrinkled her brow. It certainly wasn´t like her husband to invite random women to dine with them. "Was it a friend?" she asked.

"Not a friend of mine," Wufei answered with a smile. "I met her for the first time today, and I find her most amusing."

"Oh," Ami replied. She wondered to herself why Wufei was telling her this. First of all, he wasn´t the kind of man who saw women as conquests. Second of all, even if he was, why in the world would he tell his wife about a woman he was attracted to?

"She actually gets Yuy riled up," Wufei continued. "He can´t seem to control himself around her."

Ami blinked. Now this was interesting. The few times she had met Tokyo´s most eligible bachelor, he was as cool as ice and would beat a rock in lack of emotions. Of course, she had read about his many women, but losing control of himself around women? That was just a little hard to believe with the mental image she had of the man.

"You can´t mean what I think you mean," she stated.

Wufei smiled wryly and proceeded to tell her about the situation he and Trowa walked in on at the office. His wife blushed at the description he gave, but remained silent until he was done.

"That´s. . .most interesting," Ami mused aloud. "She certainly sounds amusing, if not a little bewildered by Heero. Although, I can´t understand why you would invite her for dinner if your friend is attracted to her."

Wufei´s lips twitched into a smirk. "Did you not say you were supposed to be better at strategies?" he asked. "I challenge you to figure this out, woman."

"It´s Ami, not 'woman´," his wife replied again. She sighed, knowing full well that he was doing this to provoke her. Then again, she was never one to turn down a challenge, especially the kind that involved puzzles. "What are the stakes? And how much time do I have?"

"There are no stakes," Wufei answered with a shrug. "I respect you. I wouldn´t make you do something you don´t want to, and there´s no point in betting on something you´d willingly do." He stood up from his chair and walked to the other side of the table. "I daresay that you have until the night of the charity ball, love."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, briefly enjoying the sweet scent of her freshly washed hair.

"Don´t think too much. You still have that operation to do tomorrow," he murmured softly.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero sighed as he got ready to head up to his so-called home. He had finally gotten the work that he was supposed to finish today done. He glanced at the clock and scowled. It had taken him two extra hours, and it was all because he couldn´t keep his mind off a certain blonde for most of the day.

Getting up from his chair, he grabbed the laptop sitting on his desk and headed out the door. As he passed by the secretary´s desk outside his office, he couldn´t help but pause and take a look at what she had done with it. It looked almost lively, screaming that someone worked there during the day. There wasn´t a single speck of dust, and a couple of books sat next to the computer. A pencil holder filled with various pens sat proudly on top the desk, next to the little flower-themed calendar and picture frames.

Curious, Heero sifted through the numerous amounts of pens, and was amused to find a couple of gold and silver ones among the many blacks and blues. Yet, it was so very Usagi. She was an alluring woman, but she was also an innocent girl.

He took a look at the photos. The first one was of her family, and he noted that both Usagi and her sister took after their mother, whose wavy blond hair and soft blue eyes gave her a very motherly and gentle look. Her father looked more stern, but one could easily recognize the love in his eyes as he smiled down at his family. The photo was dated in the corner in a flowing cursive hand with silver pen. It was taken four years ago.

The second one looked like a graduation picture, filled with girls that were most likely in her class. And the third one, which looked the most recent, made him blink and glare at the frame, or to be more precise, the man behind the frame. The woman in the centre was undoubtedly Usagi, and she had her arms looped through those of the two people around her. On the left was a dark haired girl with startling violet eyes, and on the right was a man, who looked a little too friendly for his liking.

Putting the frame down in case it broke under his continuously tightening grip, he happened to see a piece of white notepaper sprawled carelessly on the desk. In the same cursive hand that Heero now deduced was Usagi´s handwriting, _Shunshou_ was written down, along with the address and phone number.

He picked up the piece of paper. That was probably where she was supposed to meet her sister for dinner tonight, and knowing Usagi, she had probably skipped out of the office and left the directions behind. He smirked and tucked the piece of paper into the pocket of his jacket.

It looked like he would be dining out tonight, at _Shunshou_.

~*~*~*~*~

Minako looked across the table at her sister, who was eating her cheesecake while she carried on a conversation with Rei about the benefits of technology, a topic which she had tuned out on as soon as Usagi asked about the software protection system at Aegis. She snuck a glance at Duo, who looked like he was debating whether to be disappointed or confused – disappointed because Usagi´s full attention was now on Rei, or confused about the computer terms they were using.

As though he sensed her gaze on him, he turned his attention from staring at Usagi´s profile to meet Minako´s eyes. She rolled her eyes, to which he grinned. If there was one thing the two of them definitely agreed on, it was that technology was incomprehensible.

Determined not to let this turn of topic ruin her plans, she jumped into the conversation, which had switched to something about timers and lights.

"So Rei, do you want to come to the bathroom with me?" Minako asked.

"The door might need an electronic password," Usagi added sarcastically, "and we know all about Minako´s typing abilities."

"Thanks Usagi," Minako replied. "I can use a debit card, you know."

"Whoever said the password involved just numbers?" Usagi returned, grinning. "What if it was CBJK? And what if they had to be capitalized?"

Minako pouted. "You could be nicer about it," she muttered.

"She is being nice about it," Rei responded. "Did you not hear some of the replies Mr. Maxwell got?"

Rei´s eyebrows twitched while she glared at Minako, who moved her chair away from the black-haired woman. If she wasn´t sure before about whether or not Rei and Usagi knew she planned Duo´s appearance, well, she was sure they both knew from the start now.

"You sure you still want Rei to go with you?" Usagi drawled, raising an eyebrow at her sister´s previous action. "It looks to me like you wouldn´t want to dump water over her if she was on fire, at least not if you have to get close to her."

"Hey!" Minako protested.

"Hay makes the fire spread," Usagi informed her with as straight a face as possible.

Duo laughed, and Rei smirked.

"I would not watch my best friend be burned to death," Minako answered, crossing her arms. "I am kind enough to save people in need."

"Then if you _need_ to go to the bathroom," Usagi laughed, "by all means, I´ll save you. Let´s go."

She started to get up, but Minako quickly pushed her down, a little too hard it seemed. Usagi toppled over into Duo´s arms, who grinned like a maniac.

"I think you´re falling to quickly for me, Miss Aino," Duo tried again.

Usagi sighed, straightening herself and removing any contact she had with Duo. "I´d fall quicker for the Earth," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "After all, the acceleration towards the centre of the Earth is 9.8 meters per second."

Three people stared blankly at her, and Usagi shook her head. "Never mind. What I mean to say is, I would fall quicker for the ground from a mountain than I would for you, Mr. Maxwell."

"What does the ground have that I don´t?" Duo asked, frowning.

Rei rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "Come on, Minako," she called out, getting out of her chair. "I know you´re just dying to go to the bathroom."

The sarcasm was not lost on Minako, who had become an expert at picking up that tone since she had to live with Usagi. Still, she´ll take any chance to continue with her matchmaking scheme. Quickly, she followed Rei to the far end of the restaurant, completely missing the amused look Usagi threw at her back.

"Did I miss something funny, Usagi?" Duo asked. "Um. . .can I call you Usagi? It feels weird calling you by your last name since I call Minako by her first name."

Usagi nodded. "Sure, I don´t mind."

Duo grinned. That was one small step closer. "You can call me Duo," he offered.

"If it´s alright with you, Mr. Maxwell, I´d rather not be on such familiar terms yet," Usagi mused, stirring her coffee.

And one big step back.

"Oh, how come?" Duo prompted.

Usagi shrugged. "I´m not used to calling men I´ve only met a couple of times by their first name," she supplied. "Besides, if I do, that´d be encouraging Minako, and believe me, I´d rather survive only on carrots for a year."

She smiled at him suddenly, and Duo grinned back, happy to be on the receiving end of her good graces instead of her biting remarks for once. "You know," she began, "I have no idea why my sister decided to set you up with me."

"Why not?" Duo replied.

"She´ll be a much better match for you," Usagi answered.

"But I like you," Duo protested boldly.

For one of the few times in her life, Usagi was taken aback. She had an idea that Duo might be interested in her. After all, he had been doing nothing but hitting on her all evening. Plus, it was so obvious that this wasn´t a chance encounter, nor did Minako have to go to the bathroom that badly. Still, for him to come out so openly and admit that was surprising, if anything.

"I´m. . .flattered," Usagi responded softly, staring into his deep indigo eyes. Subconsciously, she noted that they were a very unusual shade, yet, they didn´t burn into her soul the way Heero´s did. Duo´s eyes mesmerized her, but Heero´s drowned her, seeming to capture her very essence in their depth. Mentally shaking herself, Usagi wanted to slap herself. She couldn´t believe the train of thought her mind had taken.

"I think that´s the first nice thing you´ve said to me all evening," Duo stated cheekily. He reached up uncertainly to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, almost breathing a sigh of relief when Usagi didn´t protest.

It was then that he noticed their faces were very close together. In fact, if he "accidentally" lost his balance now, he could kiss her, equally by "accident".

~*~*~*~*~

"Heero, I´m so glad you invited me to dinner," Relena said, tracing her index finger up his arm. "You should have told me earlier though. I didn´t have enough time to get ready for this date of ours."

Heero mentally rolled his eyes. As if she couldn´t find an appropriate outfit in that closet of hers, which he would bet was the size of his apartment, if not bigger.

As he pulled into a parking place in front of the restaurant, he wondered again at the wisdom of bringing Relena with him just to see his temporary secretary again. He couldn´t have come out alone. No one goes out to dine alone at a fancy restaurant like _Shunshou_. That was just stupidity. Then again, he had no intention of bringing Trowa or Wufei. Trowa would figure out his intent in half a second, and he didn´t want to give his longtime friend the satisfaction of being amused. As for Wufei, he was probably going to be busy with his wife anyway. No other woman in his office building would do, and he had no intention of bringing some unknown woman who was after his money and would no doubt be gossiping about his affairs everywhere. At least Relena would have the decency to keep her mouth shut about this so-called date, and he knew that even if he spent the entire night staring at the child-woman who had been on his mind all day, the worst that could happen would be an angry Relena, which he´d always tolerated just fine. Besides, a new piece of clothing or jewelry would soothe her anger in under half a minute.

The manager practically tripped as he ran up to greet the two new guests who had appeared at his restaurant.

"Mr. Yuy, what a surprise," he greeted hastily, trying to adjust his tie and look composed at the same time. "You did not call for reservations. Should we open up the VIP room for you?"

Relena was about to say that it would be desirable, but Heero beat her to answering the man in front of them. "No, I´d prefer you don´t," he murmured absentmindedly, scanning the large restaurant with his eyes.

Finally, they landed on a head of shining blond hair in the middle of the restaurant. He frowned slightly, trying to figure out if that was the woman he was looking for. Common sense told him that it couldn´t be, but his inner feelings said otherwise. No one else could make his heart quicken its pace like that; no one else could make his blood run hot and cold at the same time.

Mindlessly, he followed the manager as he led them to a table, Relena tugging on his arm the entire time. As they walked by the table the blonde was sitting at, he could tell the woman really was Usagi. . . and she was in the company of that guy from the party. . . and he looked as though he was about to kiss the slightly blushing woman.

******************************************

End of Chapter 6.

AN: I´m really evil, and I know it. =D Please review! Happy Chinese New Year to the Chinese people out there. ^^ Hope you guys get lots of money. LOL.

Reference: The hey/hay thing was derived from Angelight´s Christmas fic, "A Breath Away." Read it if you´re in the mood. It´s a cute fic.


	7. Chapter 7: Jealousy

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: To be quite honest, I´m kind of depressed right now. Either Sailormoon or Gundam Wing as presents would be nice.

AN: I don´t care if it´s past Christmas. Bah Humbug. I´m not in a great mood. Stressed. Tired. Lots of work Not enough sleep. Dreaded presentations. Unfinished ISPs. Personal issues. Need I go on?

Kagome-chan: I like Chinese lion performances. =P You´ll just have to keep reading to find out who´s with who, but other than Wufei and Ami, they´re all going to be tangled in some sort of polygon.

Serena Yuy: It would if it was done in public. Fortunately, Heero´s got a better hold on his temper than Rei. I think, at least.

WindRider-Damia: *hugs* I´m truly sorry, but trust me, if that´s the case, he wasn´t worth your time. For the plot´s sake, Usagi can´t do that to Duo. Maybe later in the storyline.

DarkKnight: There´s an evil called school I have to take care of, with this being my final year in high school and all. Actually, I´m not doing as well as I was last year. Anyways, I´m already updating faster than I have been doing in the past year. Just ask those who waited (or are still waiting) for me to get my act together and write SW. .

Chibi Shamps: *huggles* I´m sorry. ^^;;; I´m trying to update this one quickly.

Lilaclight: XD I totally cracked up at your suggestion. Well, Heero could always use it as compensation if he offends Usa. ^_~

the Desert Fox : I can´t win, can I? =P Actually, I just had Ami´s hair be naturally black, because blue hair doesn´t exist in real life. Heero and Relena´s "date" is probably the shortest in fanfiction history, as you´re about to see. ^^;;; As for the triangle, if I say Duo is a plot device, does that make things better?

Usagi Asia Maxwell: No, I didn´t email the last chapter to you. Was I supposed to? *is confused* I don´t email chapters to anyone unless I ask that person to pre-read, and that´s usually a spur of the moment thing.

LunaPrincess: I´m sorry. I can´t stop the triangle. If your concern is Usagi being indecisive, then you don´t have to be concerned at all. I can assure you that much. This fic won´t turn out like Usa-chan or D-chan´s popular ones where Usagi is stuck between multiple men and doesn´t know who she loves. As I told the Desert Fox up there, Duo´s role is just a plot device. I need him there to develop the main plot as well as one of the subplots. You´ll see what I mean by that. I just hope that puts your worries to rest.

Vixen: *dies laughing* Oh my god! Poor Duo! Everyone´s against him! XD I suppose this means I´ll have to embarrass him a lot later to make up for his current role. Well, I´m sure Heero has a couple things to say to that. I´ll see what I can do. ^_~

Heart Soul: I celebrate Chinese New Year too.

Minna-san: LOL! Lots of guessing we have going on. Writing this AN totally cheered me up, because I got to reread all your reviews. Speculations everywhere, it seems. The Makoto/Quatre relationship won´t be completely open until, at the very earliest, the next chapter, but this one does produce some insight. The triangle got a whole range of reactions from "Yes, triangle!" to "Oh god, no!". I´m trying to keep it Heero/Usa and interesting at the same time. I think, for those who hated it, you´ll see Duo´s use as this chapter progresses. As for who knows who, the best way _not_ to confuse yourself is to assume that they don´t know each other unless stated otherwise. Anyways, thanks again for the wonderful comments. Enjoy the show!

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore, definite **PG-13** scene nearing the end. (i.e. the infamous romance novel ravishing scene), a little language but not too bad.

***************************************************

Chapter 7 - Jealousy

***************************************************

Usagi stared at Duo, her bright eyes showing some confusion. Gathering her wits about her just in time to react, she quickly turned her face away just as Duo leaned forward. He kissed her cheek, and she mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

Laughing nervously, the braided man sat back in his chair. "My sense of balance is bad," he stated with a sheepish grin.

"If you can fall off a four-legged chair, I wouldn´t use just 'bad´ to describe your sense of balance," Usagi replied matter-of-factly, her cheeks still a little pink.

No matter how witty she could be, how many guys have been on the receiving end of her sarcastic and biting replies, she was still one of those girls who had never been kissed in her life. It wasn´t to say that no one had tried, but with Mamoru as one of her best friends, most men at home had learned not to give her unwanted attention. The overprotective brother role had extended to her, not just to Hotaru. Of course, the fact that her sister teased her endlessly about any guy in her life just about turned her off from high school and university romance. She had dated a couple of men, before she decided that none of them were interested in her as a person. Sometimes, she hated being classified as gorgeous. She never knew if men were interested in her personality, or her looks. Judging by Mr. Maxwell´s actions just minutes before, Usagi would bet her lifetime savings that he fell into the category of the "common man", forget the fact that he was a world famous actor.

_And Mr. Yuy as well,_ she added to herself mentally. He was, after all, surrounded by beautiful women. He was probably dying to make her one of those bimbos who could only flutter her eyelashes at what he said.

Duo, who seemed to have noticed her sudden change in mood, decided to speak up. "I´m sorry, did I do something I wasn´t supposed to?" he asked.

Usagi bit back a wry smile. She could tell him that coming to dinner was a mistake on his part altogether, but that seemed just a little bit harsh. She decided on a different reply. "It was more the fact that you didn´t do something you´re supposed to," she murmured.

Duo´s eyes lit up. "I could kiss you again," he offered, thinking that she was upset because he had failed to deliver his charm.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "But would you let me stab you with a fork first?" she quipped.

Duo gave her his infamous puppy-eye look. "But I kiss well," he squeaked out.

"And I stab accurately," Usagi replied dryly. "What you didn´t do, Mr. Maxwell, was take my sister to the ladies´ room."

Duo frowned. "I wouldn´t be able to take her in without being slapped by various other women," he commented, obviously confused. "Or trapped by the girls."

Usagi gave him a smirk. "Exactly."

~*~*~*~*~

If the fancy tablecloths inside _Shunshou_ were alive, this particular one under Tokyo´s most eligible bachelor´s tightening grip would either be dead or screaming in pain. Relena was browsing the menu and making pointless comments while he randomly grunted in response.

His eyes, meanwhile, were directed at a table a bit to the left and behind Relena while his menu laid unopened in front of him. His hands clenched and unclenched into fists around the tablecloth as he tried to keep his rage under control.

She had lied to him. She said that she was meeting her sister for dinner. Lo and behold, she was actually here on a date with a famous actor. He was not happy with this revelation. And he was put into even more of a foul mood by the fact that she seemed to be having a decent conversation with her date, somewhat smiling at a hopeful looking Duo Maxwell.

"Heero!" Relena suddenly called out, reaching across the table to shake him out of his thoughts.

"What?!" he snapped, momentarily turning his attention to her, his eyes a sea of fury.

"What´s wrong with you?" she hissed, looking around them quickly to see if anyone saw the uncharacteristic display between them.

"Nothing!" he retorted. "What do you want?"

Relena frowned, her eyes scrutinizing him before smoothing the unflattering facial expression into a small smile. "Is the food here still as good as I remember?" she asked casually. "I don´t come as often as you do. Of course, if you decide to take me out more often. . . ."

"It´s fine," Heero replied curtly, turning his attention back to the couple he was previously observing.

"Any suggestions?" Relena proceeded.

Heero rolled his eyes. "Yes," he answered. "The menu has a few."

Relena frowned again. Except for the man sitting across from her, this was far from her idea of an ideal date. "Heero, you´re not paying any attention to me!" she whined, glaring at him. "What´s so interesting anyways?"

She turned around and followed the direction of his gaze. A small smirk formed on her face when she saw Usagi sitting at the dinner table with Duo. She glanced back at Heero, then felt a strong surge of jealousy sweeping through her.

"She´s a _child_," Relena emphasized. "And it looks to me like she chose Mr. Maxwell."

Heero´s eyes were suddenly on her again, but instead of the sweet, mesmerizing gaze Relena had always imagined he´d give her one day, those Prussian blue depths were filled with a raging hatred.

He stood up abruptly from the table, deciding that he no longer wanted to be in Miss Relena Peacecraft´s company, and that he had seen enough. Coldly and calmly, he removed ten thousand yen from his black leather wallet and tossed it onto the table.

"Enjoy your evening, Miss Peacecraft," he mocked, spinning around on his feet to leave while Relena stared at his broad back in disbelief.

If he had bothered to look back, he might have seen Minako and Rei returning from the bathroom.

~*~*~*~*~

"Operation Matchmaking successful!" Minako declared loudly as she flopped herself down on the couch in the apartment.

"I knew it," Rei muttered. "Minako, can you not see that Usagi doesn´t even remotely like Mr. Maxwell?"

Minako shrugged. "She doesn´t warm very easily to men," she decided, snatching the remote control up from the coffee table and flipping through the channels.

"You´re lucky you´re setting up Usagi, and not me," Rei bit out dryly.

"I know," Minako replied with a grin. "Come on, Rei! Don´t you think they´d be perfect? She´s my sister and he´s one of my best friends. He´s funny and knows how to have fun, and she´s too serious. They´d be good for each other."

"No, really, they wouldn´t," Rei tried to reason. "He´s an idiot; she´s witty and smart. He doesn´t know the first thing about electronics; she could live her life doing computer work every waking hour. One of these days, he´ll drive her insane."

"You´re too negative, Rei," Minako waved off her protests. "If I don´t do something about my sister´s love life, she´ll be single till the day she turns eighty."

"Have you ever considered her feelings on the matter?" Rei demanded. "Maybe Usagi doesn´t want a boyfriend yet."

Minako grinned. "She´ll thank me later," she replied confidently, then turned her attention back to the television show.

Rei sighed, deciding to drop the subject with Minako and head to her room instead. There were a bit of paperwork she had decided to take home to do in order to be on time for dinner. Personally, she didn´t think Usagi was thankful for any of Minako´s matchmaking attempts. One day, Minako was going to regret this plan of hers.

~*~*~*~*~

"You can use this room," Quatre offered with a smile as he opened the door to the guest room in his spacious mansion.

The room was the size of Makoto´s living room in France, decorated with a beautiful and intricate design of clovers and leaves, bathing the room in a comforting green tone. A queen sized bed stood to one side of the room, its bedcovers a slightly darker shade of green than the rest of the furniture. A night table and dresser was next to it. On the other side of the room was a small coffee table and a couple of armchairs, as well as large windows that faced the garden. Makoto´s luggage was already set down next to the bed.

"This is nicer than any hotel I´ve ever lived in!" Makoto laughed.

Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her green eyes were as lively as Quatre remembered them. Wearing a tan-coloured sweater and dark blue jeans, she was still as stunning as she was when they were in high school.

"I see France hasn´t done anything to dampen your spirit," Quatre commented with another smile.

"No way!" Makoto agreed. She signaled for the man to join her at the coffee table and the two sat down. "If anything, Tokyo is dampening my mood," she continued. "Paris has the most beautiful sights. Then again, it´s good to be home."

"I´m glad," Quatre replied quietly. "I´m very surprised to hear from you so abruptly."

"Doesn´t seem like me, does it?" Makoto agreed solemnly. "It just didn´t occur to me to keep in touch. To be honest, I never thought I´d come back to this place again."

"They´re still at the same cemetery," Quatre answered. "There´s a park around it now, though. The government had it built when they realized they couldn´t put up commercial buildings around it."

"That´s nice to know, Quatre," Makoto responded.

After a brief moment of silence, she continued, "Come, don´t look so depressed. I´ve come to terms with my parents´ death, and you know I hate it when people pity me."

Quatre sighed. Yes, he had made that mistake before, and it had cost him. It had cost him a lot. "I know. I´ll have the driver take you there tomorrow," he decided. "You should get a good night´s sleep. I still have some work to finish."

He stood up abruptly to leave. He was happy she was back, that was for sure. On the ride back, they had talked like old friends, him asking endless questions about Paris, and she just as willing to recall stories of her escapades. But that was just on the surface. They had issues to resolve; both of them knew it, but it was late now, and they didn´t want to bring up memories just yet.

"Quatre," Makoto suddenly said, making him pause in his track. "For what it´s worth, I´m sorry for the way I acted."

He nodded briefly, not turning around, but aware that she was watching him. "Apology accepted," he murmured. "We should leave the past in the past, but I´m sorry too."

Makoto stood up and walked to stand in front of him. She was as tall as he was, so she had no problem looking into his turbulent blue-green eyes, which swirled with mixed emotions. "Let´s start over then," she stated firmly. Sticking out her hand, she continued, "Hi, I´m Makoto Kino, owner of the restaurant _Lune Argent_. I´m turning thirty in two months. My parents died during my last year of high school, but if you pity me, I´ll kick your butt so far into outer space that you´re going to be useful to NASA. Nice to meet you!"

Despite the somber mood just seconds earlier, Quatre burst into laughter. "Nice to meet you, but I´m not sure about becoming NASA´s first human satellite," he began. "I´m Quatre Winner, owner of Winner Studios. I´m thirty and own a house large enough to be used as a hotel."

The two shook hands and Makoto laughed some more. "We are definitely quite a pair," she commented.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi made it to her desk with about thirty seconds to spare. Breathing heavily, she flopped down into her chair and tried to get some oxygen into her lungs.

"You look exhausted," a flat voice commented from behind her.

Without turning around, Usagi already knew who it was. Getting some of her air back, she replied with dripping sarcasm, "Alert the tabloids, a genius a born."

"Run from a very far place?" the cool voice stated rather than asked. "Was last night satisfactory?"

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Is there information that the great Heero Yuy need to _ask_ in order to get? Now we really need to alert the tabloids," she responded.

Ignoring him, she reached over to turn on the computer and take the papers out of her bag. When she looked up again, he was standing right in front of her, blocking the view to her monitor, his large frame emitting an aura of anger, his Prussian blue eyes wild with a burning rage. Usagi almost let out a squeak. She hadn´t even heard him move.

Seeing his boldly piercing gaze wander leisurely down the length of her body, Usagi wondered at the wisdom of wearing the lavender ensemble, whose skirt was even shorter than yesterday´s. Then again, she couldn´t say that the fact Heero couldn´t seem to take his eyes off her was disturbing. It was. . .a little flattering. She sighed mentally. Her mind didn´t seem to function properly when it came to her boss. Yes, her _boss_, a fact that she had to keep reminding herself of. She pushed the rolling chair a little away from him. Maybe she really should wear that turtleneck and jeans to work.

"A picture would last longer," she commented dryly, notifying him that she knew he was staring.

"And be a whole lot less satisfying," he replied tonelessly, almost sardonically.

The fury remained in his eyes, and Usagi started to wonder what was wrong with him this morning. The day before, he had thought their bickering was hilarious. Today, he was not even mildly amused.

He walked past her and into the office, giving her a curt nod to indicate that she was to follow him. Frowning a little at his strange behaviour, Usagi decided to just do as he wanted. After all, her hope of working in the department she wanted laid within his hands. At the same time, she was beginning to understand Rei´s feelings for this man in front of her. He just. . .didn´t make much sense sometimes.

She walked into the office, half expecting him to already be sitting at his desk. Instead, the doors slammed shut behind her, making her jump and whirl around to see Heero´s hand push the bolt into place, effectively locking the door. She was trapped between him and the already shut doors.

Stepping back so that there was a little bit of space between them, Usagi managed to glare at him. "Rei was right," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

He raised a mocking eyebrow at her and closed the space that she had put between them, making her press her back against the doors. "And if I told you I don´t give a blessed damn?" he asked nonchalantly.

Usagi´s eyes widened. She could almost swear that the man she met yesterday was completely different from this man in front of her now. "What are you? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?" she retorted.

She uncrossed her arms, suddenly finding it hard to breathe in the small space Heero had allotted her. This proved to be a mistake, since he took the another step forward, and now, Usagi could literally feel her breasts pressed against his suit. Panic welled up within her, and desperately, she tried to forge some space between them by pushing her hands against him. What she didn´t realize was that she had to move her small hands slowly up his chest in order to do so. Before she had even accomplished what she set out to do, his eyes had darkened with the lust that, just by being so close to her, made his blood boil.

Grabbing her hands to stop their movements, he leaned in closer to her. Their faces were almost touching. Usagi could feel his warm breath on her face. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribcage. She didn´t even know what she wanted to happen, and she knew that no one would have a chance to disturb them this time around. He had made sure of that.

"Do you know what I really hate?" he murmured lowly, his voice bordering on menacing.

Usagi shook her head a little, unable to form a sensible pattern of speech at this proximity.

"I hate liars," he finished. "And I hate those who lie to _me_ even more."

"What-?"

Her question was cut off when he forcefully pressed his lips against hers, his open mouth slanting fiercely back and forth above her own, his tongue shamelessly exploring the depths of her mouth. Usagi´s eyes widened as she tried to fight against him. He was acting like he wanted to devour her. The kiss was punishing, unforgiving, and it went on endlessly. The more she fought him, the more demanding his kiss became. She felt tears sting her eyes as she finally ceased her struggle. She wasn´t strong enough.

He released her hands and circled her small waist, and she went limp in his arms. He broke the assault on her mouth and let his lips leave a trail of fiery kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind, her brain told her to stop him, but she felt too weak, her energy spent fighting when he had first started kissing her. Her eyes closed gently and the full effect of his sudden passion set in.

He flicked his tongue over her racing pulse as his hands moved expertly up and down her body, making her reach up and clutch the lapels of his shirt to keep from sinking to the ground.

"Are you enjoying this?" she heard him ask huskily. "Because I sure as hell am."

Usagi´s breathing was ragged and uneven as she tried to come up with a response, but Heero wasn´t expecting one, nor did he want one. He kissed her again with the same punishing force. One hand reached up to cup her breast while the other started to unbutton the front of her white blouse. Instantly, Usagi´s eyes snapped open.

"No!" she tried to shout against his bruising kiss, but he ignored her. "Oh, please don´t. What did I do?"

Heero remained ignorant of her pleas, and tears stung Usagi´s eyes, flowing freeing down her cheeks. Why was he doing this to her? Her shouts became cries; her cries became whispers as she realized she was powerless to stop him. Despite her constant struggling, he had already managed to open her blouse. Her sobs rang loudly in the otherwise silent room.

"Please don´t," she whimpered. "Heero, please stop."

He froze completely, and for the first time in the past twenty minutes, took a good look at the woman he had practically raped on the floor of his own office. Her clothing was wrinkled; her hair in disarray, strands of golden blond falling out of the ponytail; her cheeks were flushed and stained with tears; her lips bruised from his forceful kisses. But it was her eyes that got him to the most. They held tears, and fear, fear of him, and that alone made him realize what he had done to her.

He pulled her to him, tucking her head in the crook of his neck, and held her, trying to soothe her. He whispered incoherent words, hugging her body, which had gone stiff in his arms.

"Oh God, chibi-chan," he murmured. "What have I done?"

"I rest my case, Dr. Jekyll," she retorted, pulling away from him and instantly falling to the floor, her own legs still too weak to hold her up.

He kneeled down next to her, and she glared at him.

"Get away from me!" she snapped, shuffling as fast as she could away from what she now decided was a crazy man.

Heero stood up and headed for the sink. He wet a handkerchief with some warm water, then walked back to where she sat, still regarding him with suspicion in her eyes, not that he could blame her.

"I won´t hurt you," he stated softly, getting down next to her and gently wiping the tears from her porcelain cheeks.

"Physically, emotionally, or spiritually?" Usagi bit out. She snatched the handkerchief from him and cleaned her own face.

Heero managed to chuckle at her behaviour. He reached for her, and she moved further away from him.

"Whatever you´re going to do, I can do it by myself," Usagi said firmly.

"Then may I suggest you button up your blouse?" Heero asked with a faint twinge of amusement. "Because if you don´t, I´m going to be tempted to finish what I started."

Usagi threw the handkerchief at his face, then tried to do as he suggested, only to find that her fingers shook as she tried to put the small buttons into the buttonhole. Heero watched the completely alluring picture she made for a full minute before deciding he should probably help her, since she had only managed to button one of the six in the time he had knelt there, watching her.

He moved closer and gently took her hands away. Usagi´s eyes snapped up in fear, but Heero refused to meet them. He didn´t want to see her looking at him like that. Quickly, he buttoned up the rest of her blouse.

"I´m sorry," he muttered as he reached up to stroke her cheek.

Usagi quickly shrank back. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Do you experiment with magic potions? What did you have for breakfast this morning?"

Heero smiled wryly. "No, and I had buttered toast with black coffee," he answered.

"I´ll be sure to avoid that combination of food in the future," Usagi replied, trying to stand up on her own, but failing to do so.

Heero felt his heart wrench a little painfully. He had done this to her. He had let his anger and lust control his actions. He didn´t know what was wrong with him. She had looked so tempting when she walked into the office this morning, her eyes bright with new energy, her cheeks flushed with happiness, and to think that another man might have made her so content drove him mad. Even now, he could remember the pleasant smell of strawberries in her hair and the exquisite feel of her soft body against his.

Sighing, he helped her to her feet and led her to his desk, where he sat down in the comfortable revolving chair and pulled her into his lap. Usagi tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Don´t do that," Heero warned her.

"Why not? Because you can´t stand the fact that there´s one woman in the world who can resist your touch?" Usagi retorted.

"I thank you for your high regard of my capabilities," Heero replied dryly.

"You should thank me for the high regard I have of your ego," Usagi bit back.

"I´ve yet to be proven wrong," Heero answered with a shrug.

"I rest my case," Usagi responded, rolling her eyes.

Heero gave her a mocking smirk. "Can you honestly tell me, chibi-chan, that you didn´t react to my kisses?" he asked. "You practically melted over there."

Usagi settled for glaring at him. This had to be the most infuriating man she had ever met in her life. He was downright irritating, and he was more so when he was remotely right. Gritting her teeth, she decoded to retort. "I reacted by asking you to stop, Mr. Yuy, which you didn´t."

"So formal?" he teased her.

"I don´t recall ever being on familiar terms," she replied. "Now, if you will please inform me _why_ I´m sitting in your lap?"

Heero studied for a brief moment. She really didn´t seem to recall using his first name, which was the reason he had snapped out of his angry state in the first place. He decided to drop it. He wasn´t exactly thrilled about reminding her of her near-rape experience anyway. Internally, he winced at the thought.

"I want to know," he started, "why you told me you were dining with your sister last night."

Usagi raised an eyebrow at him. "I think your combination of breakfast food not only causes you to lose your sanity, but damages your brain as well," she answered flatly. "I told you I was eating with my sister because, guess what, I was eating with my sister."

Heero frowned. "You were at dinner with Duo Maxwell, and your sister was nowhere in sight," he told her. "I saw you yesterday at _Shunshou_."

Usagi blinked. "Minako brought him with her to dinner," she explained. Thoughtfully, she added, "But Rei and Minako only left me alone with him when they went to the bathroom for a bit after dessert. . . ."

Her voice trailed off as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

"Wait a second!" she cried out, looking up into his eyes. "You thought I lied to you about going to dinner with my sister. You thought I went out with Mr. Maxwell, and that´s why you almost raped me?!"

With surprising force, she pulled herself out of his grasp and now standing steadily, she glared full force at him. "Even if I was on a date with Mr. Maxwell, what right do you have to do what you did?" she demanded.

"Would it help if I let you punch and kick me?" Heero asked instead. He knew she was right. He had never thought he could be wrong about what he saw. But even if he had been correct in his assumption, he still had no right to do what he had. Still, it was better that she was angry with him than afraid of him. That look in her eyes when she had begged him to stop would haunt him forever.

"It would help if you gave me a bow and arrows," Usagi retorted. "Or better yet, a gun!"

"If you had any kind of projectile weapon, chibi-chan, I would not care to be within your range," Heero told her.

"I have remarkable accuracy, despite what you may think," she replied.

"Which is why I wouldn´t care to be within your range," he answered dryly.

"You´re the most annoying man I´ve met in my life," Usagi stated, turning to leave.

"Which hasn´t been very long," he commented, smirking.

Quickly, he stood up, walked over to her, and pulled her into his embrace. Gently, he tipped her chin up and searched her eyes. There was still a little bit of wariness, but at least she wasn´t afraid anymore. Along with his other hand, he carefully cupped her face. Usagi opened her mouth to say something, but Heero smothered her voice when he pressed his lips to hers. She stiffened instantly, but this time, he was gentle, moving his mouth slowly over hers. Her eyes fluttered close as she relaxed. This kiss didn´t hurt; it didn´t make her feel helpless. It was sweet and warm. Heero drank from her slowly, treating her soft lips with indescribable tenderness, nibbling on her bottom lip and silently asking her to let him in. Surprisingly, she complied, and tightened her hold on him. He groaned as he pulled her closer to him in response. Usagi let out a kittenish whimper, feeling a warm sense of security in his arms this time. He broke their kiss a moment later, watching as her eyes slowly opened again.

"I rest my case," he mocked lightly.

Usagi scowled, pulling away from him and stomping to the door. She couldn´t believe she had just stood there and let him kiss her like that. And to think that this was her very first kiss. . . .

"I hate you," she threw over her shoulder before walking out and slamming the door shut behind her.

For reasons unknown to him, that simple little sentence hurt him more than anything else she could have said. He sighed out loud. It hadn´t been his intention to scare her, or to make her angry, both of which he had effortlessly pulled off. Then what exactly had he been trying to prove? That he could control her? That she might want him just as badly as he wanted her? He wasn´t sure, but whatever it had been, he cursed it now for driving her away. At least he knew that she wasn´t out on a date with the Maxwell actor, which made some part of his mind smile in satisfaction.

Sitting back down at his desk, he suddenly felt guilty, both for taking out his anger on her the way he had, and for taking advantage of her just now with that last kiss. He stared at the phone sitting on his desk. He knew of one way that he could somewhat make it up to her. He picked up the phone and punched in a familiar extension.

"Research department, Miyuki Fujisaki speaking," came the female voice.

"This is Yuy," he stated in his famous monotone. "I want to talk to Barton."

*****************************************************

End of Chapter 7.

Reference: Heero´s line about not wanting to be within Usagi´s range is from Judith McNaught´s novel, "Whitney, My Love".

AN: I have to so something about my biology ISP. Hope you enjoyed. Review please. ^^


	8. Chapter 8: Some Things Don't Change

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: I´ve run out of intelligent things to say. If you plan to sue me, go away. I haven´t got a cent.

AN: I´m honestly relieved. Heero´s behaviour was an experiment for me. I didn´t know how the scene will turn out, and I didn´t know how you guys will react. I´m glad everything turned out alright, and the story will now trudge along. LOL. On a side-note, I can´t believe I´m updating this often. I haven´t written like this since "Angel in Disguise". It´s a miracle. . . .

Ice Blue Eyes: Unless something drastic happens, this will probably keep flowing. I´ve already got the ending worked out, so it should be okay. As for SW, I have a writer´s block. After those cliffhangers, I´m not sure how to make it climatic anymore for the finale. Mamoru won´t show up again till the last few chapters. I have enough characters to deal with as it is. -.-;;;

Hima Tenshi: Yes, when I know what to write as a continuation.

Lilaclight: I love Judith McNaught too. ^^ Whitney was good with darts and she could hit the petals of a daisy with a slingshot at seventy-five paces, something which amused Clayton greatly. XD Her friend´s name is Emily. As for how this fic will turn out, you´ll just have to keep reading. And I think it´s obvious now that there isn´t any Valentine´s Day fics from me.

the Desert Fox: That would be a good reason for Michiru and Setsuna to _not_ show up. ^^ I think you´ll soon realize that there aren´t _really_ any Duo/Usa moments, unless we define "moments" differently.

Vixen: I had a hot dog and milk the morning I wrote that scene in particular. ^^ Thank you for your kind comments. And yes, I agree that Usagi is entitled to hate Heero for the moment.

WindRider-Damia: I´m glad you´re better now. ^^ It´s nice to have brothers that care. Long time coming? This is seriously the fastest I´ve updated since my first chapter fic. -.-;;; No, I haven´t read your fics, at least, not that I remember.

dreamertwin: The bet will be resolved at the next meeting. XD

Aeolus: He does. XD But it just might be explained.

MysticAngel: I want to finish SW too. But like I said to Ice Blue Eyes, I´m not sure where to go after that whole climatic thing. If the end´s not more suspenseful than that near-death experience, the whole ending will just be anti-climatic and come out really crappy. I don´t want to do that to my poor fic or my readers.

ebony: Uh. . .I think you´d better check again. There _are_ mistakes. I reread it afterwards and caught a couple. Oh well, I´ll just pretend that the content´s so good you missed the grammatical errors. XD LOL. Yes on the "punish by attack" thing, but Clayton was a whole lot more unforgiving.

kimeno-pebols: I´ve read "Until You" too. ^^ But I liked "Whitney, My Love" a lot more. I didn´t develop a love for Sheridan like I did for Whitney. Besides that, I thought Clayton was hilarious.

DarkKnight: Why he´s doing this to Usagi? Because he´s jealous and has issues. XD

Haruka-hime: If you sound like a soap opera, then I must sound worse. -.-;;; Since I´m the one making you think that and all.

Minna-san: Thank you again for all your comments. I´m very touched by them and your continuous support. Many of your comments made me laugh, I´m both surprised and relieved that you took the last chapter so well.

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore, possible addiction induced by reading (Happy now, Chibi Shamps? =P)

And we´re moving. . . .

********************************************

Chapter 8 – Some Things Don´t Change

********************************************

Usagi tugged the small brush through her hair, wincing as her violent pull removed some strands from her scalp. Yet, she felt like she needed something, even if it was pain, to remind herself of what had happened. What should she do now? She wasn´t about to just forgive and forget, but she couldn´t work while hating him either. She didn´t want to stay here. Who knew when he was going to have a mental breakdown again?

She frowned slightly. Now that she thought about it, why was he so angry that she might have gone out with someone else? He had enough women around him as it was.

Usagi was so deep in thought that she never noticed a new presence until the man coughed lightly to get her attention. Her head snapped up quickly to find herself looking into the piercing green eyes of Trowa Barton.

She blushed, then quickly stuffed the brush into her purse. _Wonderful_, she thought to herself. She had only met the head of the research department once, and that one time, she had been in a rather compromising situation with Mr. Yuy. Afterwards, she had insulted the man. This time, Mr. Barton had found her sitting at her desk, brushing her hair. His opinion of her was probably slowly getting worse.

"I´m sorry, Mr. Barton," she amended quickly, hitting the intercom button before Trowa could stop her.

"Yuy speaking," came the voice.

Usagi took a deep breath. "Mr. Yuy, Mr. Barton is here to see you," she informed him.

Silence came from the other side, and Usagi wondered briefly if there was something wrong with the equipment. She was about to repeat the statement when he answered, "No, Miss Aino. He´s here to see _you_."

Usagi was confused. She glanced up at the man in front of her, who smiled a little.

"If I was here to see Heero, I would have walked straight in," he stated.

"A fact he´s particularly proud of," came the dry reply from the other side. "Miss Aino, I hope you enjoy your new line of work."

The little red light on the telephone turned off, obviously meaning that he had hung up on the other side. Usagi looked back and forth between phone and Trowa.

"Does he mean that. . . ?" her voice trailed off.

Trowa stuck out his hand. "Welcome to the research department."

Usagi was struck dumbfounded. On one hand, she should be elated. She would finally get to work where she wanted, for a big company like Aegis to boot. Mr. Yuy had granted her that, she knew he did. On the other hand, she was a little confused. Why did he change his mind so suddenly? Some part of her mind told her that he was trying atone for his earlier sin, and this was a way he knew of. Perhaps it was, but it wasn´t enough for her to forgive him. Still, at least this was one good thing that came out of her entire morning experience.

She stood up and firmly shook Trowa´s hand.

"I´m happy to be part of the team," she replied, smiling genuinely.

~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, so her favourite flowers are roses. That´s easy enough," Duo said as he bit into his club sandwich.

Minako nodded. "It´s one of the few normal things about her, and even then, she´s not that normal in the flower aspect," she stated.

The two of them were currently sitting in a booth in the back of small café, discussing strategies for impressing Usagi. Duo had started filming his a new romantic comedy, but since this was day one, he did not have as much to do as he usually did. As for Minako, she was due for a lipstick ad in the afternoon, and got to sleep in. It was one of those rare days for her.

"What do you mean?" Duo asked, his mouth still half full. "A lot of girls like roses."

Minako smiled. "I know," she replied. "I like roses too. What I mean is that Usagi is weird."

Duo nodded at her to continue, taking a big gulp of his soda.

"She likes this particular kind of rose called Eden," Minako explained. "The colour´s a mix between white and a pale pink. It´s pretty and all, but I thought it was weird that she could tell between different kinds of roses."

"So she only likes that one type of rose?" Duo asked, finishing up his drink and putting the cup on the table.

Minako giggled, then reached across the table to wipe his mouth with a napkin. Duo smiled sheepishly.

"No, but it´d definitely impress her. It´s just one of her favourite ones. The other one she really, really likes is called Desert-something. The inner petals are yellow, and the outside ones are white and magenta," she told him.

"Desert-something?" Duo echoed.

Minako shrugged. "You don´t really expect me to remember the names of types of roses, do you?" she stated rather then asked. "I only remember Eden because it was short."

Duo grinned in agreement. "Okay, so let´s recap," he began. "She likes archery, chess, computers, tinkering with electric equipment, and astronomy, none of which I know anything about, but that´s okay. She´ll eat almost anything except for carrots, and she particularly likes sweets. Her favourite colours are pink, lavender, and white. Her favourite book is _Gone With the Wind. _I´ve only seen the movie version and fell asleep for about half the film, but that´s not a big problem. Her favourite flower´s the rose, Eden to be exact. What´s her idea of a perfect date?"

Minako tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know what? I have no idea," she answered. "I think she went on something like three dates, that I know of, and she wasn´t big on sharing the details."

"How about dinner and a movie?" Duo suggested.

"It could work," Minako replied, "but I´d try something more original. Like I said before, my sister is one of a kind."

Duo nodded, then signaled to a nearby waiter for the bill, which he paid for in full, despite Minako´s short-lived protests. "We could just say it´s for helping me with all this," he said. "Besides, there´s nothing wrong if I decide to treat a friend to lunch."

Minako accepted graciously. As they neared the exit of the restaurant, she suddenly turned to Duo. "I hope your efforts will pay off," she stated.

Duo grinned. "Me too," he replied enthusiastically. He gave a jaunty wave and hurried back to the site of the movie filming, leaving Minako staring at his back.

Sighing, she decided to head for the studio. She really did hope Duo´s efforts paid off. She couldn´t name a single man that she had dated who had put as much effort into impressing her as Duo was doing for her sister.

~*~*~*~*~

Rei printed off the reports she had just finished composing for Mr. Winner, smiling happily to herself. She was enjoying her new workplace. The atmosphere was a lot friendlier than she would expect from a modeling agency, and most of the people were agreeable enough. Mr. Winner was possibly the nicest man she had ever met. He was easygoing, cheerful, and amicable. As she waited for the printer to churn out the required document, her mind wandered back to the earlier part of the day.

Mr. Winner had been late this morning, which was unusual, according to Hilde. Then, when he had come in, he had been smiling a little sadly. This had worried Rei, and when she had asked about it, he had merely said something about resolving issues with an old friend, and she had decided to pry no more from him.

Hearing the noise from the printer stop, Rei picked up the document and, knocking briefly on the door, went into the next room.

"Why don´t you just come up? I need to finish a few things before I can go to lunch," Quatre was saying into the phone.

Looking up, he saw Rei and gave her a smile and a small nod of acknowledgement. The raven-haired woman gave him the sheets of paper and silently mouthed to him what they were. He skimmed the document and underlined the places where he wanted it to be changed or reworded.

"No, no, it´ll just be a couple minutes. I promised to treat you to lunch this morning, after all," he shifted to fit the phone in between his ear and his shoulder. "Right, just tell Hilde that you´re here for me. Great, I´ll see you in a few minutes. Bye."

"Your friend?" Rei asked.

Quatre nodded. "Just came back from France," he answered, giving her back the papers. "It looks great. There´s only a couple sentences that I want reworded."

"Alright, I´ll have that fixed before lunch break," Rei replied. "I´ve already sorted through most of the shoots and interview times, as well as tryout times for the models next week. Most of them should be easy to finish up."

"Have I told you that you´re a wonderful help in the office?" Quatre asked, a relieved smile on his face.

Rei grinned over her shoulder as she left the room. "Not since twenty-four hours ago," she responded lightly.

Quatre blushed. Rei´s muffled laughter could be heard as she shut the door separating their two offices.

Quatre continued to smile. He was very happy with Minako´s friend. Miss Hino was both helpful and hard-working in the office. Already, he had some male employees asking about her. The women also seemed to like her, and Hilde was one of the many that mentioned this to him. He was also told that she was friendly and kind after work hours, despite the fact that she appeared to have a short temper, according to a couple of men that he spoke to this morning.

Suddenly, he heard the door swing open, and he looked up to find Makoto standing there. Her hair was a bit windblown, but her casual sweater and khakis still managed to make her look pleasing to the eye.

"Ready to go?" she asked with a small smile.

Knocking came from the connecting door and a moment later, it swung open as Rei stepped back in, her head in the document that Quatre had previously edited.

"Mr. Winner, how do you want to me to change. . . ." her voice trailed off when she noticed another person in the office. She smiled politely at the stunning brunette in front of her. "I´m sorry, I didn´t know you had a guest."

Makoto eyed the beautiful woman with a calculated gaze. She wasn´t sure what to make of her. She was dressed in gray dress pants with a white blouse and black, striped jacket. Her violet eyes looked curiously at Makoto in return. From the looks of it, she worked in the office.

"Not at all, I´m just here to ask if Quatre´s ready to go to lunch," she decided to say.

"Oh," was Rei´s reply. So the friend that Mr. Winner had issues with was a woman. She had just assumed that it was another man. Of course, it wouldn´t exactly be surprising for someone like him to have a female friend, or even a girlfriend for that matter. To be quite correct, she wouldn´t be surprised at all if he had a wife. At that thought, Rei suddenly felt a little sad.

Seeing the mild tension, Quatre spoke up. "Miss Hino, this is my old friend, Makoto Kino. Makoto, Miss Rei Hino, my personal secretary."

"It´s nice to meet you," Rei stated softly. She stepped forward to shake Makoto´s hand, whose grip was very strong.

"Likewise," Makoto smiled. On the spur of the moment, she decided to ask, "Do you play tennis, Miss Hino?"

Rei stared back dumbly. "A little," she answered. What a strange question to ask someone the first time you met them.

"See," Makoto decided to explain, "I love tennis, but I don´t know anyone who plays. And I´ve lost touch with most of my high school friends. So how about a game this coming weekend? I´ll provide lunch. I thought I could use some time with another female."

"Uh. . .sure," Rei replied a little uncertainly. "Where do you want to go for this?"

"You can use my house," Quatre cut in. "Makoto´s staying with me anyways."

Rei blinked. First this strange woman and her boss were on a first name basis, then she finds out that they´re living together, at least temporarily if not permanently. What else was there about Mr. Winner that she didn´t know?

"And yet, you can´t play," Makoto responded with a grin.

Quatre blushed. "My sisters had it put in," he amended. Standing up, he turned apologetically to Rei. "We have to leave. Otherwise, the reservations will be cancelled."

"Alright, then we´ll see you this Sunday, Miss Hino," Makoto waved cheerfully as she and Quatre left the office, leaving Rei staring at their backs.

As they took the elevator down to the lobby, Quatre commented, "You still make friends easily."

"Some things don´t change," Makoto replied. "She looked a little bewildered. Do you think I was too straightforward?"

Quatre laughed. "Are you ever not straightforward?" he asked. "I think she thought that you were a little strange, but otherwise, she probably accepted that you´re just trying to be better acquainted with people."

"Ever the optimistic," Makoto mused. "You like her, don´t you?"

Quatre gave her a funny look. "I´ve only known her for a couple days," he told her.

Makoto shrugged. "Doesn´t mean you can´t like her," she replied.

"I have you," Quatre breathed. "I don´t want or need anyone else."

Makoto looked away. "You still want to try this, after the whole fiasco with my parents´ death?"

"If it´s okay with you, I´m ready to take the second shot," Quatre admitted. "You know, I´ve dated one other woman after high school, and she had brown hair and green eyes."

Makoto sighed. "I haven´t dated since high school," she confessed.

"Then don´t you think we owe to ourselves to try this again?" Quatre asked, his eyes pleading for something, Makoto wasn´t sure what, but it wasn´t just the rekindling of their relationship.

"Fine," she decided. "But Quatre, just remember, it won´t be the same. People change over time, and I speak from experience when I say that memories are sweeter than reality."

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi hung up the phone in frustration. It was three days after her switch into the research department. She had adjusted well, and many of the older workers were impressed with both her hard work and her knowledge, as well as the flair she appeared to have for working with electronics. Just at the end of the day, one of the senior programmers had even asked if she would like to be part of their new project, to which she had heartily agreed. A couple of minutes after her enthusiastic agreement, she had found out that the project was to create a new security system for the company, something she found rather amusing.

However, her personal life was not proceeding as well. She had given up counting the number of times Duo Maxwell had called her. In fact, she was seriously debating changing her phone number altogether. If she did, she would be sure to threaten Minako with her life should her sister give it out. It wasn´t to say that she didn´t appreciate her sister trying to help her, or that it didn´t flatter her to know that Mr. Maxwell liked her a lot. She just didn´t feel ready for any relationship.

_No_, she corrected herself. Even if she wanted a boyfriend, she wouldn´t choose Mr. Maxwell. The last time they had had a relatively intelligent conversation, it was about _Gone With the Wind_, and Usagi had even been thinking about giving him a chance.

Then she had mentioned one of the major character´s death, and he couldn´t even remember who the character was.

Usagi sighed. She had no doubt that Minako had given the famous actor all the information about her, ranging from her stats to her preferences to what she did in her free time. What her sister wasn´t aware of was that her interference ruined part of any relationship she may consider having with Mr. Maxwell. It was Usagi´s personal opinion that learning about the other person was part of the fun a developing relationship, whether it was friendship or romance. Still, that wasn´t something she could fault Minako for.

The phone rang again, and scowling, Usagi picked it up.

"Hello?" she said politely.

"Hi Usagi!" came the now really familiar voice. "I just got something in the mail."

"Great," Usagi answered with her usual sarcasm. "Call me again when you brush your teeth."

"Why would I do that?" Duo asked, his voice sounding confused.

Usagi groaned internally. Sarcasm was easily lost on the mentally challenged. "Never mind," she answered.

"Okay, anyways, it´s an invitation to this ball on Saturday, and I thought that it´d be really nice if you could go with me," Duo suggested hopefully.

Usagi sighed. "Listen, Mr. Maxwell, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I´m not interested."

"We could just go as friends," Duo tried again.

Usagi bit her lip. He was trying so hard that she felt almost bad for him. However, it wasn´t in her nature to lead people on, and she had a strong feeling that if she agreed to this "first date", she would no doubt lead him to believe that she was remotely interested.

"Friends don´t date," Usagi replied flatly.

"But they can go out," Duo pointed out.

"They can, but that doesn´t mean they have to," Usagi responded. "I have to go. Maybe some other time."

Quickly, she hung up, not even bothering to hear his enthusiastic "that sounds good". She really didn´t plan on dating him. Why not? She wasn´t quite sure why, actually. Anyone would tell her to give it a try. Duo obviously liked her, and he was trying hard to get a single date. He was funny, friendly, entertaining, good-looking, and all those things any girl could possibly ask for, but he wasn´t right for her. They didn´t have anything in common. He didn´t have broad shoulders and a frame that towered over her. He didn´t bicker with her and challenged her mind to work faster than it normally did. He didn´t irritate her. He didn´t have smothering Prussian blue eyes that threatened to drown her in their depths. He wasn´t. . . .

Usagi groaned aloud. She thought that she could get him out of her mind if she didn´t see him every working day. Well, she hadn´t seen him for three days now, and his presence still burned brightly in her mind. She couldn´t forget those fiery kisses in his office that day, and she couldn´t forget that last, sweet kiss either. It was almost a parting kiss.

_I hate that man!_ she repeated to herself. _And I desperately need something to do to keep my mind off him!_

Suddenly remembering, she dug a crumbled piece of paper out of her purse. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello," came a soft female voice. "This is Ami Mizuno speaking."

Usagi laughed. "Shouldn´t you be using Mr. Chang´s last name?" she asked good-naturedly.

She could almost hear Ami frowning on the other side. "Who´s speaking please?"

"I´m hurt, Ames," Usagi teased. "You don´t remember me?"

Silence came from the other side as the cogs inside Ami´s head started to work. "Ames" was a nickname from her closest friends, so that naturally narrowed down her choices to about five. A couple, she knew she´d recognize their voices on the spot. Another couple wouldn´t make her guess. So that left. . . .

"Usagi?" Ami almost sounded unbelieving.

"I´m famous!" Usagi joked.

"Oh my god! It _is_ you!" Ami cried out from the other side. "I haven´t seen you in forever."

"That´s just a bit drastic, isn´t it? I haven´t fallen off the face of the planet yet," Usagi replied, laughing.

"Where are you? I was worried when the emailing stopped about a week back," Ami stated.

"I´m in Tokyo," Usagi informed her friend casually.

"That´s good. I thought you went missing," Ami responded. A pause followed, then a loud cry of "You´re in Tokyo?!" was heard when the information finally sunk in.

Usagi laughed harder. "Are you reading, Ames?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, it´s this patient´s information folder," Ami replied sheepishly.

"Some things don´t change," Usagi teased her friend. "So how about lunch on Saturday? We really need to catch up."

"We do," Ami agreed, "but I´m hosting a charity event Saturday. I suppose I could sneak in a couple hours of catching up time. Wufei can take care of it for a bit. Ah, speaking of which, why don´t you come?"

"Come where?" Usagi questioned.

"I´m hosting a charity ball for the hospital. Why don´t you come as my guest?" Ami clarified.

"A ball?" Usagi echoed. "I don´t know. . . ."

"Oh, Usagi, you have to come!" Ami insisted. "How about this? I´ll help you with the make-up and hairstyling."

"Are you sure this is the same Ami that refused to go to prom?" Usagi asked incredulously.

"Well, people change," Ami replied. "I´ll go shopping with you after lunch."

"This whole thing´s going to take more than two hours," Usagi pointed out.

"Wufei will man the fort," Ami stated. "Won´t you, honey?"

Usagi pressed her ear closer to the phone. She could hear Mr. Chang´s confused voice. "What will I do?"

Usagi muffled her giggles. "Brush his teeth every night," she suggested.

Ami repeated her suggestion to her husband. An uncertain "sure" was heard from Mr. Chang, and Usagi burst into laughter.

"Then how about the restaurant on Main Street that´s opening tomorrow? _Lune Argent_, I think it´s called. Noon on Saturday?" Usagi asked.

"It´s a date!" Ami agreed happily.

Usagi said her goodbyes to Ami. Just before she hung up, she could hear Mr. Chang´s voice in the background asking suspiciously, "A date? With who?"

~*~*~*~*~

"That computer file won´t run away, Miss Aino," Trowa laughed from the entrance to the large room. It was filled with many desks and computer systems, as well as a large counter and stools at the back of the room. The counter was filled circuit boards and other ongoing projects while the desks were full of papers.

"Just because you haven´t caught one running away doesn´t mean they don´t," Usagi replied good-naturedly, her fingers still typing away.

"It´ll still be around on Monday," Trowa answered.

"There´s just another thirty lines of coding for this part," Usagi stated, her eyes on the screen of her computer system.

"You sound like Heero," Trowa remarked, watching her reaction carefully.

Usagi´s fingers stopped for a full five seconds. Trowa could visibly see her take a deep breath before she restarted her work. "Then either I have a really masculine voice, or Mr. Yuy has a very feminine one," she muttered.

Trowa allowed a small smile to cross his face. Shaking his head, he decided not to get into a verbal fight with her. The time was well past eight o´clock, and he had been very surprised to find the light still on in the lab when he decided to leave. Then again, he should have known that it would be Usagi.

"I have to close up the place, Miss Aino," he stated.

"Oh, I´m sorry," Usagi quickly apologized. "I didn´t want you to wait for me. Uh. . . is it possible to lock the door from the outside?"

"You´re not giving up, are you?" Trowa asked. "Yes, it´s possible. I´ll leave you to turn off the lights then, but be sure not to touch anything else." His voice held a slight warning note, and Usagi knew that he was placing his trust in her for the moment. If anything was missing when he came in for work again, or if anything was even out of place, she´d be in big trouble.

She nodded. "Have a nice weekend, Mr. Barton," she said with a smile.

"Good night, Miss Aino," Trowa replied, leaving the room.

The door clicked shut behind him, and Usagi turned her full attention back to the screen. Now that she thought about it, she might need a little more than thirty lines of codes. Oh well, tomorrow would be Saturday, and she could sleep in until at least eleven.

The room was silent except for the clicking of the keys as she typed. She didn´t know how much time had passed since Mr. Barton had left. It wasn´t until she heard the opening of the door that she glanced at the clock. It was nine-thirty. Naturally, she assumed that it was Mr. Barton returning for something. He had, after all, locked the door to the room, and no one else would be able to get in.

"Did you leave something behind, Mr. Barton?" Usagi called out, not bothering to look up from her monitor. In a joking voice, she added, "Your jacket? Your favourite cup? The keys to your house?"

"I´d hate to think the head of my research department has gone scatterbrained. Don´t you agree, chibi-chan?"

***********************************************

End of Chapter 8.

AN: I think you can all guess who that is. Anyways, the next chapter really _will be_ in March. I have an English ISP to finish and a biology one too. Now that I think about it, I have a couple projects for Classics that I still got to do. This chapter was somehow written in the few hours that I got on Sunday because I didn´t know how to do my biology ISP. =\ Thought you might be interested. Anyways, please review and leave your thoughts. ^^


	9. Chapter 9: Coffee and Cappuccino

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: *insert standard disclaimer song here*

AN: My English ISP presentation went as planned, so I´m in a relatively good mood, hence I´m posting early. ^^ I think it´d also be good news for some of you to know that while I was talking to Sere-kun yesterday night on AIM, she got rid of my writer´s block for Silent Waltz. I expect a new chapter when March Break rolls around. Then I can sit down and write.

Vixen: *hugs* Thanks for the wonderful review. Actually, I´d much rather be doing biology than English. =\ I´m a science nerd. Oh well, they´re both done now. I´m happy.

the Desert Fox: Well, I like Setsuna and Michiru and Haruka. I just don´t think I can reasonably give them a big role in the fic. But now that you´ve mentioned it, I might be able to stick Setsuna in. ^^

Haruka-hime: Bubbly is good. One of my best friends is _very_ bubbly. ^_~

Lilaclight: Don´t ask me why, but I thought your review was hilarious. I actually don´t know if the ball will have some importance, but you´re right when you say the cast and crew will be assembled. *shrugs* The story´s starting to write itself, so I don´t even know. -.-;;;;

dreamertwin: *huggles* I hope you do well on your reports. ^^

Blonde Satan: XD As badly as you need oxygen? LOL.

Usagi Asia Maxwell: No, I´m not that good. I write whatever I like whenever I like, so that´s sort of bad. I haven´t updated in forever and a decade for all my other fics.

Crazygurl70: Schu-Schu-chan? Well, it wasn´t what I had in mind when I was writing this, but I like him too, so that can´t be bad. ^^

SilverRay-chan: *tackle glomp* You´re alive! LOL! Wufei´s not scatterbrained; he´s just confused. XD

kimeno-pebols: I´m glad you liked HBAM. I was this close to just leaving the completed fic on my hard drive. SilverRay _et. al._ convinced me otherwise.

fireangel: Do you really not know? Or were you trying to be sarcastic? O.o

Sunshine Fia: I get them from various places. Some are from my head, others are lines my friends have used before. (Having really sarcastic friends help sometimes. =P) Yet more are random lines from books I´ve read or modified from fics I´ve read. I´m running out of sources. LOL.

Raye: Heero lives in the building. ^^;;;;

Minna-san: Thanks again for all your reviews. I love hearing from you, and reading your comments made me smile through my very hard week of work (which has actually not yet ended). To those who wished me luck on my schoolwork, I thank you again. So far, it´s been good, and I hope you do well on yours as well.

On to the fic. . . .

***************************************************

Chapter 9 – Coffee and Cappuccino

***************************************************

Usagi´s head snapped up at the familiar voice and nickname. Quickly, she looked at the doorway to find Heero leaning casually against the frame of the door, his hair falling almost boyishly into those eyes that were slowly drinking in the sight of her. She shifted a little uncomfortably in her chair. At least the gray dress pants and melon green shirt didn´t leave her feeling more bare than she really was.

"Um. . .what are you still doing here?" she managed stutter, wringing her hands nervously in her lap. This was the first time she had seen him since the incident in his office, and it certainly wasn´t helping that they were alone in the entire building.

"I could ask you the same," he replied, not moving from the doorway.

"I´m just finishing up something for your new security system," Usagi answered. If she kept talking about the job, then maybe they could avoid all personal issues.

"I didn´t know Trowa kept his workers in till after nine," Heero remarked.

"Oh, he doesn´t!" Usagi quickly defended her supervisor. "He´s very helpful and very nice. He told me to leave, but I wanted to finish this."

"I´m glad you have such a high opinion of him," Heero replied darkly.

Usagi blinked. She could almost swear he was unhappy with her enjoyment of her current job. There was something seriously wrong with the man. He gave her the job, after all. Why would it matter whether or not she liked it as long as she did her work?

Deciding to change the subject, she repeated her question. "What are you doing here, Mr. Yuy?"

"Seeing which of my scatterbrained workers left the light on in the lab and is currently piling up the electric bill," Heero answered. He removed himself from the doorway and walked towards her. "But seeing it´s you, chibi-chan, and since you´re working so diligently, I´ll forgive and forget."

Usagi wasn´t quite sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. She supposed it was good since he wasn´t mad that she was making the monthly electric bill more expensive for him. She noticed that he was approaching her work station, and she fought not to stand up and run away. He looked normal enough. Then again. . . .

"Wait!" she stopped him in his tracks, one eyebrow raised at her. "What did you have for breakfast this morning?"

His eyes laughed at her, but he somehow managed to make his voice as serious as hers. "I had an apple and a cup of coffee," he answered. "Do I pass, Miss Health Inspector?"

"Coffee is bad for you, and I´m not sure what it does to your mental state," Usagi replied cautiously.

"I´m only trying to see what you´ve written for my security system," Heero responded dryly. "If it helps your state of mind, chibi-chan, I promise not to ravish you."

Usagi flushed, and she could almost hear him smirk as she looked away. His footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent room, and stopped once he reached her. He skimmed the coding that she had thus far from over her shoulder, and Usagi could feel her heart thump loudly because of their proximity.

"Right here," Heero muttered, pointing to something on the screen and making Usagi jump a bit at his sudden comment. "It won´t work. Someone can override the password system just by jamming it with random letters very quickly."

"How do you know?" Usagi asked, examining her work and momentarily forgetting who she was talking to.

"Not all my secretaries knew how to use a computer," he replied flatly. "She ran into my office saying that the computer had crashed and was doing strange things."

"Like?" Usagi prompted.

"Giving her access to the accounting department´s books and the legal department´s confidential files," Heero stated wryly. "Not that she knew or ever figured it out."

"Did you fire her?" Usagi asked, trying to hold back her giggles.

"She quit," Heero replied, "after claiming that the computer attacked her while she was working."

Usagi bit her lip. "How did Miss Une ever ended up selecting her for the position?" she continued.

"Because she had coffee that morning?" Heero suggested, raising a mocking eyebrow at Usagi. "Wufei and Trowa had a field day with it."

"I would too," Usagi laughed. "I can´t believe this. How many secretaries have you had?"

Heero shrugged. "Ask Wufei. He has a tally of them and how long they stayed," he admitted.

"Because he wants to see which one would be good if he ever wanted to break into the central computer?" Usagi joked.

Heero gave a small smile. "Because he and my other department heads don´t have a life and bet on how long each one lasts," he deadpanned.

Usagi laughed again, and Heero reveled in the musical sound that rang through the room. "What were the bets on me?" she asked with a smile.

"Shortest was three hours. Longest was six weeks. But yours didn´t count, because you didn´t quit, so the betting on that one was declared void," Heero explained with a shrug.

"I feel so special," Usagi commented sarcastically.

Heero flashed her another smile, and Usagi suddenly felt as though the room had become smaller. Even though she hadn´t known him for very long, she still knew that his smiles were very rare. And to see his eyes soften when he looked at her made her feel like a deer caught in headlights.

"Should I hope," he suddenly started, "that this friendly conversation means you´ve forgiven me, chibi-chan?"

"I. . .I don´t know," Usagi admitted softly.

"I´ll take that as a yes," he replied.

"Feel free to _ask_," Usagi answered, rolling her eyes.

"I will, then," Heero said with a smirk. "Are you free tomorrow night, chibi-chan?"

"No, I´m meeting with Ami," Usagi responded. She quickly made a note to change the coding, then saved and turned off the computer. "That´s Mr. Chang´s wife, in case you´ve forgotten."

"I haven´t gotten forgetful yet, despite my age," Heero replied wryly. "And she´s not free tomorrow night."

"How would you know?" Usagi retorted, grabbing her purse to check if anyone called her cell phone. "Do you have a date with her?"

"If I said yes, would you be jealous?" Heero mocked, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

"Yes, of you, because Ami promised me the day already," Usagi bit out, glaring at him briefly before looking back at the phone. "Nine missed calls?" she spoke aloud.

"I´d hate to be the one with an emergency trying to reach you," Heero stated flatly.

"If you were the one with the emergency trying to reach me, I´d throw the phone into the nearest body of water," Usagi retorted.

"What would that be? Your sink?" Heero teased. "Who tried to call you nine times?"

"I don´t know, but my guess is Mr. Maxwell," Usagi replied. "He´s been calling non-stop all week."

Heero´s face suddenly darkened. He snatched the phone from her and started to press buttons on it. This new fact was not going over well with him. He didn´t know how the actor got Usagi´s cell phone number, but he wasn´t pleased with it. Why? He didn´t really know himself. He just knew that the thought of another man with her made him want to hurl the next thing he came across out the window.

"Hey!" Usagi protested, trying to take back what was hers. "Haven´t you ever heard of asking?"

"I´ve seen it in the dictionary," Heero replied, turning his cold eyes at her.

Usagi suddenly took a good three steps back. She recognized that look. It was the same one that he had when he practically attacked her. Cold fear griped her, and as though he sensed her change in emotion, his eyes slowly lost their glowing edge.

"I don´t like him," he stated plainly, giving the phone back to her.

Tentatively, she reached out and took it back, keeping an eye on him the entire time. "I never would have figured it out," she retorted, turning the little device in her hands over and over again. "What did you do to it?"

He shrugged. "I blocked off his number," he answered.

"That´s horrible!" Usagi replied. "Tell me how to fix it."

"I´m so glad you _asked_," Heero responded, throwing her words back at her. "Aren´t you smart enough to figure this out?"

"I haven´t tinkered with this yet. It´s the first time I´ve ever had a cell phone," she admitted. "And Minako said that if I broke it or took this apart, she´s not getting me another one."

Heero raised an eyebrow at her. "Take it apart," he stated with a shrug. "You´ll learn something from it. I´ll get you a new one."

Usagi blinked and looked up at him. Heero stared back levelly, and she narrowed her eyes in return. "What´s the catch?" she asked.

Heero´s lips twitched, then he pointed to the wall clock behind her. "You let me take you home. It´s past ten, chibi-chan," he said.

Usagi looked between Heero, the clock, and the dark sky outside. He looked back at her with amusement in his eyes. "I´m not going to eat you," he commented dryly.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly nodded and let him guide her out of the lab, turning the lights off on their way out.

~*~*~*~*~

"What do you mean, she won´t answer the phone?" Minako asked into the receiver as she flipped through a fashion magazine.

"Her answering machine picks it up at home, and she won´t answer her cell phone," Duo´s voice replied from the other side.

Minako sighed. "I can´t believe she turned you down for tomorrow´s ball," she stated. "I don´t know what my sister´s thinking sometimes."

"Minako, do you think there´s something about me she doesn´t like?" Duo asked.

"What´s there not to like?" Minako replied. "You´re hot, friendly, funny, cheery, caring, and the list goes on, Duo. I just think my sister is being stubborn. Maybe she likes you but she doesn´t know it."

"You think so?" Duo questioned hopefully.

"Of course! But that aside, we have to work out the arrangements for tomorrow," Minako said decisively. "I mean, since she won´t go with you, that means she´s coming with me. But I invited Rei already, and you know it´s one guest per person. So that leaves you to escort Rei."

If Minako could have seen the look on Duo´s face, she would have noticed the change in colour. He had gone a few shades paler. "You want me to escort your friend?" he squeaked out, remembering the few experiences he´s had with the raven-haired woman.

"Don´t worry, Duo," Minako assured him. "We´ll all go together anyways, so it´ll be like you´re with Usagi. Just come pick us up at our place at six tomorrow night. I´ll call up Usa and convince her."

"Okay," Duo agreed.

"I just thought of something," Minako suddenly put in. "Why don´t you visit her at work on Monday? You can invite her to lunch or something."

Duo´s voice brightened. "That´s a great idea, Minako!" he exclaimed. "What would I do without you?"

Minako giggled. Her mood was suddenly a lot lighter. She proceeded to chat with Duo about her escapades for the day and the photographer´s funny moustache and horrible accent. Duo laughed with her and added his comments on her stories.

When Rei came in half an hour later from an errand for tomorrow´s ball, she found Minako on the phone, laughing as though she was insane and talking non-stop. She decided that her roommate probably had too much ice-cream for dessert, then went to her own room to sort through her tumbled thoughts regarding her boss and the woman who was slowly becoming her friend. Rei flopped down on her bed, not even bothering to put away the new accessories she bought to go with her dress for tomorrow.

Makoto was cheerful and full of stories to tell about France. Today, she had invited Rei and Quatre to lunch at her newly opened restaurant. As the woman ran back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, both Rei and her boss had found Makoto´s antics amusing. They had ended up chatting about various subjects, ranging from Makoto´s restaurant to their co-workers. Rei had realized when Makoto had joined them later that she personified everything a man would want in a woman. She was nice; she was friendly; she was athletic; she could cook; she could clean; she could tell amusing stories and jokes, and the list went on.

Rei was slowly finding out that she couldn´t compare to who she now knew as Mr. Winner´s girlfriend. Then again, why did it matter so much? She had even acknowledged it as perfectly normal. Plus, Makoto was possibly one of the nicest women she had ever met. So why did it hurt?

~*~*~*~*~

"This is it?" Heero asked softly as he pulled the black Porsche into the circular driveway outside the apartment building.

"Yea," Usagi replied. The entire ride there had been silent, and it had been a strange experience, since the two of them had never been able to stop arguing before. Then again, it hadn´t been uncomfortable. It had just been. . . weird. "Thank you."

"Don´t get lost on your way up, child," he mocked her, unlocking the doors.

Usagi rolled her eyes. Fine, if he wanted a child, then she´ll be a child. "Yes, your lordship," she answered with her usual sarcasm, then stuck out her tongue at him.

Heero´s eyes darkened as the little pink tongue flashed his way. "You could put that tongue to better use," he suggested, leaning across the space that separated them.

"Oh yes, like getting it stuck to ice when I tried to lick it as a kid," Usagi replied dryly.

Heero chuckled, then reached up to cup her face in his hands. "Not exactly what I had in mind," he murmured.

Alarm bells rang off in Usagi´s head. She knew he wanted to kiss her. She knew he was going to, but for some reason, she stayed frozen to the spot. He captured her lips with his, and Usagi´s eyes slowly fluttered close. His lips moved over hers gently, molding the softness of her lips to his. Usagi found herself kissing back a little uncertainly. Compared to every other woman he´s probably kissed before, she really was just a child. But Heero didn´t seem to mind. He guided her and coaxed her to be more bold with her explorations. When their kiss finally broke, her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was laboured.

"Why do you always do this to me?" she whispered, looking up at him.

He pecked her lips again before replying, "Do what?"

"This," Usagi repeated, indicating their positions.

Heero gave her a mocking smirk. "Kiss you?" At her nod, he shrugged. "Because I want to."

His apparent indifference annoyed her, and his egotistical outlook that he could do whatever he felt like irritated her even more. But her anger was directed to herself. She had done nothing to stop him, and this was the second time he had kissed her, not counting the unpleasant ones. "I´m so glad I can amuse you," she retorted, pulling away from him.

"You amuse me more than you realize, chibi-chan," Heero replied. "You´d better get some sleep. Sweet dreams."

Usagi glared at him. "I hope you have nightmares for the rest of your life," she bit out, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut.

Heero watched her as she disappeared into the building. Yes, she amused him with her antics and comments more than she realized. But she most definitely did not amuse him when they kissed. It took every ounce of his control just to remember that she wasn´t the same as all those other women. They had all come willingly, and would probably seduce him to bed if he had been even a little unwilling. Usagi was different. He was chasing her, and if he moved too fast, she was going to run even further away, so he had to move slowly. However, it was getting harder and harder to slow down. Every time they touched, it made his blood boil with desire. He wanted her, badly.

Sighing, he turned back to the office. If she was meeting Ami tomorrow, that means she would probably turn up at the ball. The fact that he´ll see her not even twenty-four hours from now lightened his mood. Mentally, he made a note to see a psychiatrist. Ever since she stepped into his life, he had been doing things that even he himself couldn´t explain, and the fact that this didn´t bother his state of mind was becoming disturbing.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi awoke to the shrill ringing of the phone by her night table. Warily, she opened one eyelid to catch the time on the clock. It was seven in the morning. She growled and proceeded to glare at the phone. If it was Mr. Maxwell, she would personally strangle him.

She picked up the phone. "Hello," she muttered groggily.

"Girl, where were you last night?!" came the exasperated voice of her sister. "I tried to call you and you weren´t home."

"I´m sorry I didn´t give you a schedule of my whereabouts for the day," Usagi replied, flopping back into bed and rolling her eyes.

She could hear Minako huffing on the other side at her usual sarcasm. "Well, good morning to you too," she grumbled.

"I fell asleep when dawn was breaking, Minako, so it´s not morning until I say so," Usagi growled out, rolling over underneath the covers.

"Oh?" Now Minako sounded interested. "Where were you last night again?"

"I got in at ten-thirty, _mother_," Usagi replied. "I just couldn´t fall asleep, and before you ask why, I´m not telling you."

"You´re mean, Usa," she could almost hear Minako pouting on the other side.

"If you agree with that, raise your hand or say 'ay´," Usagi mumbled in return.

"Ay," was Minako´s reply.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Now tell me why you´re calling me in the ungodly hours of a Saturday," she stated, changing the subject.

"I´m glad you asked," Minako answered proudly. "There´s a charity ball tonight, and it´s going to be a lot of fun, and you know you want to come with Rei and me."

"I have plans with Ami," Usagi grumbled. She knew that this was probably another attempt on Minako´s part to set her up with Mr. Maxwell. Most of the invitations for balls allowed for only one guest, so it would be convenient for Minako to get her escorted by Mr. Maxwell.

"Ami who?" Minako asked, sounding almost panicky. "Usa, you have to come!"

"Ami, my best friend other than Hotaru. That Ami, the one who was student council president and valedictorian the year you graduated," Usagi informed her, rubbing her eyes. There was no way she would be able to go back to sleep.

"Oh, her," Minako replied. "I remember her. She was the brain, or the nerd. I still don´t understand how the two of you became such good friends."

"I was also a brain, or a nerd, as you often reminded me back in those days," Usagi commented flatly. "Anyways, I´m not going with you, so Mr. Maxwell will just have to be happy with escorting you."

"How´d you know? I didn´t say anything about Duo!" Minako exclaimed, and Usagi could hear Rei´s "I told you she´d figure it out" in the background.

"It was a lucky guess after he called me numerous times despite the fact that I never gave him my phone number," Usagi responded, her tone of voice obviously not amused.

"Oh," was Minako´s reply, followed by a nervous giggle. "Well, you have to admit he´s nice, and he´s trying really hard, and he´s willing to go to all kinds of length just to go out with you. Why won´t you give him chance?"

"Why don´t you?" Usagi quipped, tossing the covers aside and getting out of bed. She glanced in the mirror and made a face. She looked like she had been run over by a truck. Ami would have to be the best make-up artist in the world to make her look presentable at whatever social gathering she planned to take her to tonight.

"What do you mean, why don´t I?" Minako sounded confused. "Of course I give him a chance. He would be my best friend if it wasn´t for Rei."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Never mind," she muttered. "Listen, you really need a boyfriend yourself, preferably one that´ll keep you out of my love life, or lack thereof."

"If you gave Duo a chance, you´d have a love life!" Minako argued.

"If I gave every man I met a chance, I´d eventually have a love life," Usagi pointed out. "I´m in Tokyo because of work, remember?"

"Sure," Minako drawled. "That´s why you were flirting with Mr. Yuy the first time we went to the Stone party, right? Speaking of Mr. Yuy, what do you do in his office?"

Usagi blushed hotly and sank weakly into the nearest chair. Minako´s question had carried a suggestive tone, but Usagi knew that her sister was just making fun of her. Minako didn´t really know what had happened in his office, or when he took her home last night. The memory of their kiss had burned brightly in her mind, and she hadn´t been able to stop the automatic replay in her head until the breaking of dawn. The feel of his lips moving over hers, the warmth of his arms, the security she felt, the commanding aura – she just couldn´t stop the skip of her heart when she remembered them.

"Usa?" Minako prompted, sounding a little worried. It wasn´t like her sister to have nothing to say. "Nothing bad happened right?"

"Of course not!" Usagi amended quickly. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to find out. She didn´t want to have a daydreaming Minako or a huge amount of gossip out there about her and Mr. Yuy. She knew her sister wouldn´t be able to keep her mouth shut, and the media was unforgiving when it came to news about its city´s most eligible bachelor. "He switched me to the research department and I haven´t seen him very much," she added casually. "Besides, he´s irritating."

Minako laughed. "That´s a compliment compared to what Rei used to say about him," she joked.

Usagi smiled weakly, even though her sister couldn´t see her. "Anyways, Minako, I´m sorry I can´t go. I have to get ready for lunch with Ami," she said, effectively ending their conversation even though she could still hear Minako´s complaints as she hung up.

Sighing, she laid back in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was so confused with her own situation. Why didn´t Mr. Maxwell understand that she didn´t like him back? Still, at least he was easy to read. The person she really didn´t understand was Mr. Yuy. He was warm one minute, and then he was cold. She couldn´t imagine him wanting to date someone like her, but there seems to be some physical attraction between them. Then again, she had never been so shallow. To be honest, Mr. Maxwell wasn´t bad looking either. She groaned at the long chain of thoughts and got up for the second time that day.

Why did men exist at all?

~*~*~*~*~

"Ami!" Usagi called out joyously as she ran towards her friend, who was waiting for her in the lobby of the restaurant.

The two women hugged tightly, and people around them smiled at the reunion they witnessed. They chatted non-stop about everything and anything as they settled down to their reserved seats in the restaurant.

"You´ve grown up, Usagi," Ami commented, flipping through the menu.

"Oh yes, if a quarter of an inch since the last time you saw me counts as growing up," Usagi laughed.

Ami smiled. "Perhaps it´s better to say that you´ve matured," she corrected herself.

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Ames, please, that sounds like something my grandmother would say to me," she replied with a laugh.

Ami laughed along. After placing their orders, she proceeded to ask about Usagi´s final years in university. The conversation carried on about friends and professors until both women were laughing at a ridiculous comment Usagi remembered her physics teacher made about the relationship between obesity and roller coasters.

Lunch was eaten and one the waiters came to ask if they would like any beverages. Usagi yawned and smiled sleepily at Ami, who looked at her with concern.

"Are you okay, Usa?" she asked, going into doctor mode.

"If it´s possible for the human body to run on lack of sleep, then I´m perfectly healthy," Usagi replied.

Ami blinked, then turned to the waiter and ordered two cappuccino.

"Ames, I don´t like coffee," Usagi protested.

"I admit that it´s not healthy, but it´ll keep you awake for now," Ami responded. "I don´t want you falling asleep at the ball tonight. I want you to have fun, and as long as you don´t get addicted and get enough sleep tonight, it´ll be alright."

"Thanks for the health lesson, Ames," Usagi commented with a giggle, "but I just don´t like the taste of coffee."

Ami blushed. "Cappuccino´s not bad, Usagi," she stated. "If you don´t like it, then you can order something else."

"And you can have twice as much and stay up until the sun comes up tomorrow morning," Usagi laughed.

Ami giggled, then Usagi asked about her life and work, which launched the conversation into their current careers as they sipped their drinks. As Usagi finished telling her friend the simplified version of her stay at Aegis, Ami suddenly cried out, "It´s you!"

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "I should hope so," she giggled. "Otherwise, who else did you talk to for an hour and a half?"

Ami flushed. "No, no, I mean the person Wufei was talking about was you," she amended.

"He talked about me?" Usagi questioned, suddenly wondering just how much the Chinese man had told his wife about the circumstances under which they had met.

"He didn´t tell me your name, but he said there was a new woman in the office that makes Heero act unusual," Ami explained.

"Um. . .maybe he´s just ill," Usagi stuttered, staring into the depth of her cappuccino with great interest.

"Wufei swears that man is immune to all illnesses," Ami replied with a shrug. "Maybe he likes you."

"And I´m a hippopotamus," Usagi bit out sarcastically. "Really, Ames, that´s something I expect to hear from Minako."

Ami stared at her best friend levelly, then decided that the matter was not worth arguing over. Her husband knew Heero well, and if he said Heero was acting strangely, then there was something very odd going on. And Heero Yuy looking at a serious relationship would be classified as odd. Oh well, things will play out on their own. "Fine, don´t believe me, Usagi," she responded, finishing up her cappuccino. "He´ll be there tonight, so we´ll see what happens between you and him."

Usagi slumped back in her seat in a mixture of fatigue and disbelief. "What am I? Your source of amusement? And what do you mean he´ll be there tonight?" she asked.

Ami grinned almost evilly, and Usagi suddenly decided that her friend loosening up might not be such a good thing after all. "I told you I was hosting it when we talked on the phone," she reminded Usagi nonchalantly. "You don´t really expect me to forget inviting one of my husband´s best friends, do you?"

"Yes," Usagi groaned. "I was hoping you´ll forget his existence all together." She sure as hell wish she could.

**************************************************

End of Chapter 9.

Tidbit: The physics comment about obesity and roller coasters was something _my_ physics teacher said in class. The conversation between him, my friend, and me went something like this:  
Teacher: So what would you say is a reasonable mass for a person riding a roller coaster? 150kg?  
Me: O.o  
Friend: O.o That´s like. . . 300 pounds!  
Me: The guy would take up two seats in the car. . . .  
Teacher: So what, fat people can´t ride roller coasters?  
Me: ^^;;;;;;  
Friend: ^^;;;;;;

AN: Again, just thought you might be interested in the weird things in my life. ^^;;; I´m off to finish my calculus homework. I hate integration. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10: Dance the Night Away

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: I can draw basic geometric shapes, and my last attempt at drawing a person had people asking me whether it was a potato. Deduce from there.

AN: I´m spoiling you all. . When I go back to my normal writing speed, I´m going to be yelled at. Anyways, this chapter is 17 pages long, because I didn´t want to break up the ball scenes. I apologize ahead of time for the chunky chapter.

Chibi Shamps: It _is_ a record! It´s been so long since I´ve written close to this speed.

Serena Yuy: Well, I always believe that people can see romance everywhere except right under their nose. Ha ha ha, you gave me a funny mental picture of Heero with a turtle shell. ^^

fireangel: I´m not _that_ mean to Duo. . . .

the Desert Fox: No, I actually have a good place for Setsuna. It´s a minor role though, but perfect for her. Just depends when I´m actually going to put it in.

Angelight: *laughs* If Heero gave up, we´d have no story. XD He´s stubborn, what else can I say?

Celestial Dreamblaze: I loved your summary of the Heero/Usa situation. ^^ Heero will realize that there´s more than just physical attraction very soon.

siren: I´m not sure whether that´s a good thing or a bad thing. ^^;;;

Vixen: I don´t mind food analogies. I´ve a food freak. XD The one thing I´d never ever be is anorexic. LOL.

Mingming: Most anime characters are immune to diseases, but I think Heero proved himself more so. How many times in the anime _should_ he have died? A few, if not a lot. And yes, I think fireworks is just you being odd. XD Then again, I´m rather odd too.

Minna-san: You know what else I love about this story? The fact that no one can guess what I´m going to throw in next. XD Yep, that´s right. This chapter´s not like anything anyone (at least those that reviewed) expected, and believe me when I say I didn´t do that on purpose. It just came out that way. Again, thanks so much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore (as per usual, if not even more), Relena-bashing.

Notes: _Lune Argent_ is French for "Silver Moon", in case anyone´s wondering. Also, Medusa refers to a Greek mythology creature. She has snakes in her hair, and she´s so ugly that when people look at her, they turn to stone.

*****************************************************

Chapter 10 – Dance the Night Away

*****************************************************

"Are you done, Ames?" Usagi asked, exasperated as she tried not to fidget under Ami´s skilled fingers, which were currently doing up her hair.

"Hmmm. . ." the dark haired woman murmured to herself as she pinned up a little more of Usagi´s silky blond hair.

Usagi sighed, and when Ami finally walked around to the front to see her work, the blonde couldn´t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She prayed to whatever god was up there to let Ami find her appearance satisfying.

Ami tilted her head from side to side, as though examining her work from all angles. Even after all these years, she was still very much a perfectionist. The shopping trip had taken a little longer than expected, but they had finally agreed on a dress. Then, for the next few hours, Ami had fussed and done all kinds of things with her vast array of make-up and hairstyling equipment, which had left Usagi gaping.

She had been sure that some alien had taken over her best friend, but Ami had merely laughed and said that ever since she had become one of Tokyo´s most well-known doctors, she had been required to attend more formal parties than she really wanted to. At first, she had been reluctant and unhappy about it, but after meeting Wufei at one of these events, she had started to like dressing up. This was something Usagi teased her mercilessly about, but Ami had merely blushed prettily and continued to play with her friend´s tresses.

"Would you be insulted if I told you this is worse than being dressed up by Minako?" Usagi teased, standing up.

"That bad?" Ami laughed, pushing her back into the chair. "Hold on, I have to fix something."

"Ames, at this point, I couldn´t care less if I look like Medusa," Usagi stated dryly, standing up again. "I´m sore from sitting, if that can happen."

"Technically speaking," Ami began, tapping her chin with her finger, "Your bottom is a muscle too, and sitting on it for too long could be classified as working that muscle for too long, which means. . . ."

Usagi laughed out loud. "I rest my case," she teased the now blushing woman. "Old habits die hard?"

"Something like that," Ami giggled. "Anyways, let´s get you into the dress, then I have to get ready too."

After much shuffling and sighing and muttering and groaning, with Ami running back and forth from the dresser to the chair to get accessories and refusing to let Usagi look into the mirror before the full effect was complete, the petite blonde was finally dressed and ready for the ball.

Ami pushed her towards the full-length mirror. One look left Usagi gaping for the second time that day.

Half of her blonde hair was pulled up into a complicated twists of braids and twirls while the other fell around her shoulders and down her back in soft waves. A couple of ringlets framed her heart-shaped face. She had never liked make-up, but Ami had convinced her to put on some lipstick and a little bit of mascara. A gold, star earring adorned her left ear while a crescent moon hung from her right. She wore a white satin gown with spaghetti straps. Gold embroidery of suns, moons, and stars went across the neckline and around to the back, as well as along the top, translucent layer of the hem. The neckline itself was just low enough to tease the male senses, but not enough to be indecent. The satiny material came together at the waist, emphasizing the smallness of it, before flowing out softly. Long, white gloves covered her forearms and simple gold jewelry that Ami lent her adorned her wrists and neck.

"Ames," Usagi breathed, "have you ever thought of giving up medicine and becoming a fairy godmother instead?"

Ami looked so horrified at the thought of giving up her career that Usagi burst out laughing. "Never mind, just lend me you magic wand sometime," she finished wryly.

For the next half an hour, Usagi watched with mild amusement as Ami hurried about the room, slipping on a gorgeous sky blue, spaghetti-strapped gown that had embroidery of flowers diagonally across the front, brushing her hair until it literally shone, and putting on matching sapphire jewelry and gloves.

"Call the Guinness Book of World Records. I think we have a new time for the fastest female to get ready for a formal event," Usagi joked when Ami´s bustling came to a stop, leaving the dark-haired woman slightly breathless.

Ami glared at her best friend. "It´s not funny, Usagi," she scolded.

The blonde just smiled innocently. Then, seeing the flicker of worry in Ami´s eyes, she added, "Relax, Ames. It´s going to be just fine. Your house is gorgeous; the ballroom´s ready; you´re ready and Mr. Chang took care of the details."

"It´s not my house," Ami corrected. "And anyone about to host such a big ball would be just a little nervous."

"Not your house?" Usagi echoed. "Then whose house is it? Your next-door neighbor´s?"

"Heero´s," Ami replied with a shrug. "Ours is big, but not this big, and it wouldn´t be so far away from the city with my and Wufei´s job."

Usagi almost choked on her own saliva. "He _lives_ here?!" she practically shrieked, jumping out of the chair as though it had burnt her.

"No," Ami answered. "He just owns the estate. It´s been in his family for years. He lives in the office building."

"And Minako lives in the mall," Usagi responded sarcastically.

Ami sighed. Usagi seemed especially agitated whenever Heero came up in their conversation, and she was beginning to wonder whether more had happened between them than either her or her husband knew. Shaking her head, she pulled Usagi out of the room and down the stairs to the front hall, where Wufei was talking amicably to Trowa.

"You´re early, Trowa," Ami remarked, smiling at the man. She found him easier to get along with than Heero, even if he did give off a quiet and unapproachable vibe from time to time. Besides that, she had spent more time in his company than Heero´s.

Trowa nodded in her direction and gave them a small smile. He didn´t seem surprised that Usagi was also present. He merely exchanged a look with Wufei that clearly meant, "this will be an interesting evening".

~*~*~*~*~

"No," Rei refused flatly at what Minako was suggesting. "If you´re telling me I´m being escorted by him, I´m not going."

"We´re both being accompanied by Duo," Minako defended. "Besides, he´s a nice guy. I don´t see why you and Usagi both have problems with him."

"I don´t have a problem with him," Rei practically yelled. "I have a problem with looking as though I´m dating him!"

Minako winced. "Hey, is something the matter?" she asked. "It´s not like you just met him yesterday. Why are you making such a big deal?"

Rei gritted her teeth. The matter was that Mr. Winner had talked to her earlier in the day. Their conversation had brought up the ball, and he had joked that if Makoto hadn´t come back, he probably would have ended up going with someone from the office. Rei didn´t know why that irritated her so, but since the end of their discussion, she had been agitated. But she wasn´t going to tell Minako this. She wouldn´t tell anyone else this. They´d think she was insane.

"Fine," she finally relented with a sigh. "I´ll go, but you´re his date. As soon as we´re in there, I´m pretending I´ve never met him in my life."

"I still don´t see why you and Usagi have a problem with Duo," Minako whined. "He´s such a sweet guy!"

"Not to mention that half the female population of Tokyo would give their right arm to date him, right?" Rei finished for her friend.

"Exactly!" Minako cheered.

A knock on their apartment door made both of them turn towards the source. Minako jumped up from the couch and made a mad dash for her bedroom. Rei sighed out loud and went to open the door. On the other side, Mr. Maxwell was standing there in a black shirt, tuxedo, and white bowtie. His hair was pulled back in his trademark braid, and he was carrying three bouquets of white roses. He smiled a little nervously at Rei.

"Hi," he greeted uncertainly.

"Good evening," Rei replied, letting him into the apartment. "You might as well make yourself comfortable. Minako´s not done with her hair yet."

Duo grinned, knowing how long Minako took with her appearance from many experiences in the dressing rooms at photo shoots. "These are for you, Minako, and Usagi," he stated, glancing around. "Um. . .is Usagi here?"

Rei sighed mentally. She actually did feel bad for the braided man in front of her. "She´s not coming with us. She had plans with her best friend," Rei answered, getting a vase from the kitchen for the flowers. "But we could give them to her if you want."

Duo blinked in surprise at the sudden kindness from the woman he had done nothing but piss off before. "Sure," he said. "That´d be really nice. Thanks."

Rei and Duo made a bit of pointless small talk for the next half an hour as they waited for Minako. Rei managed to discover a few things that would be good to know in her new line of work, and Duo found that Rei was nice enough when she wasn´t angry, though he had decided long ago that she wasn´t his type. She didn´t seem to enjoy having fun as much as he did.

When Minako finally emerged from her room, her hair up in a pile of ringlets and wearing a gold, strapless ball gown that had patterns of flowers studded with sequins across it, Duo´s jaw almost hit the floor.

"You look beautiful, Minako," he complimented, grinning at her.

Minako smiled brightly. "Thanks Duo! You don´t look too bad yourself either," she replied. Then catching sight of the roses on the table, she let out a happy exclamation. "These are so pretty!"

Duo scratched his head. "I couldn´t find Eden," he said a little sadly. "But the saleswoman was impressed when I asked for it."

Rei blinked, a little confused while Minako´s smile faded a bit.

"Oh, these are all for Usagi?" Minako asked, suddenly a little jealous of her baby sister. She wasn´t even here, and Duo had gone out of his way to get all these roses for her. Why couldn´t a man do that for Minako herself?

"Nah, she´d be buried beneath them," Duo joked. "Miss Hino just put all three bouquets together in the vase."

The fact that Duo had brought flowers for her too made feel better for some reason. She gave another dazzling smile, and explained apologetically that Usagi wouldn´t be going with them.

Duo smiled and offered Minako one arm and Rei the other. "That´s alright. I had a feeling that she was busy anyway," he admitted. "Shall we go?"

Minako took up his offer enthusiastically and Rei did the same, albeit a little less happily. The threesome headed for the limousine Duo had gotten for the evening. As Minako and Duo talked away, Rei couldn´t help but stare out the window aimlessly. She felt like a third wheel, and she wouldn´t know very many of the people there. The evening seemed to stretch out endlessly in front of her, taunting her loneliness.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi was bored out of her mind. Since people had started coming in, Ami and Wufei had been greeting new arrivals endlessly. Trowa had walked off pretty early, saying that he wasn´t a "people person" and wasn´t up to greeting the guests. Usagi, not knowing anyone else, had stuck to Ami´s side like glue. She had smiled and shook hands with more people in the past twenty minutes than her twenty-three years of life.

As some of the other department heads from Aegis came in, Wufei had politely introduced her to them, something that Usagi appreciated greatly. She also recognized some actresses and musicians, and Ami had taken the time to introduce her coworkers to her best friend as well. But there was still a sense of unfamiliarity between Usagi and the other guests, so she hadn´t wanted to move. The ball was important to Ami, and she didn´t want to accidentally offend one of the many guests with some of her biting remarks. She had a feeling that she had probably insulted a couple of men who had expressed interest in her as they walked by.

At this time, she found that she actually missed the people who could take her sarcastic replies: Hotaru, Mamoru, Minako, Rei, Mr. Maxwell. . .Mr. Yuy.

"Usagi," Ami´s soft voice broke through her thoughts. Usagi turned to smile again at the people she knew she was about to be introduced to. "This is Mr. Quatre Winner, the owner of Winner Studios, and his date, Miss Makoto Kino. Mr. Winner, Miss Kino, this is my friend, Miss Usagi Aino."

Usagi smiled and shook the woman´s hand, who smiled brightly in return. Her hair was piled elegantly on top of her head and her high-necked, dark violet gown hugged her curves tightly. The bodice had tiny pearls sewn onto it, and the skirt had a long slit up one side of her leg. With her height and figure, Usagi was sure that the woman in front of her could get away with wearing all kinds of clothes.

When the blond man shook her hand, he also examined her thoughtfully. "Tell me something," he started with a sweet smile. "You wouldn´t happen to be related to Minako Aino, would you?"

"She´s my sister," Usagi replied with a bit of surprise. "Do you know her, Mr. Winner?"

Quatre laughed and shook her hand again with more enthusiasm. "I would be her manager," he responded.

"I think my sister needs someone to manage more than just her career," Usagi joked. "I suppose you haven´t seen the state of her room."

"You shouldn´t talk about someone behind their back, Usa!" came a horrified voice.

Usagi whirled around to come face to face with none other than Minako, Rei and Duo. She grinned. "I wasn´t behind your back," she pointed out. "You were behind mine."

Ami caught Usagi´s eye and smiled, doing a couple of hand gestures to indicate that they were blocking up the doorway. Usagi smiled at her best friend and lead the whole group away. Introductions were made before Minako blurted out, "Didn´t you already have plans?"

"Does it look like I´m sitting around twiddling my thumbs?" Usagi returned, raising an eyebrow.

"But you said you were meeting with Ami," Minako continued.

"Minako," Rei interrupted, "Ami is the name of the woman that greeted us when we walked in."

Minako stared at her sister with wide eyes as Usagi resisted the urge to laugh. "That was Ami Mizuno? The class valedictorian, the school nerd? You didn´t tell me she was a doctor and married to the Mr. Chang in Aegis!" she exclaimed.

"You never asked," Usagi pointed out.

Quatre chuckled at the sisterly exchange between them, and Minako had the decency to attempt to include the others in the conversation. With four out of six of them working in the entertainment industry, the topic inevitably turned to that, and Usagi found that despite Mr. Maxwell´s silliness, he was serious about his work and actually had intelligent things to say. Besides that, now that she was with people she knew, she could speak whatever was on her mind.

No one noticed Makoto slipping away from the group as she wandered about the beautifully decorated ballroom. She wasn´t into the conversation. She didn´t know enough about her boyfriend´s work, and wasn´t well acquainted with anyone else. Even though they all seemed nice, she wanted to take a breath and look around. As she watched other people interact with each other, it dawned on her that this was a regular occurrence for Quatre. He was at ease in his white suit and dark purple shirt and white bowtie, wandering amidst these finely dressed gentlemen and ladies, carrying on conversations. She, on the other hand, was feeling suffocated. She wasn´t claustrophobic, just not used to such loud, crowded, and fancy surroundings.

Spotting a set of French doors that led out to a balcony, Makoto took the chance to leave the room. She was surprised to find someone already there, wearing a classic black and white tuxedo, his deep green eyes settling on her when she joined him.

"Good evening," she greeted him softly.

He gave a slight nod in acknowledgement, and Makoto wondered who he was. Why wasn´t he inside like everyone else?

"I didn´t think anyone else would be here," she continued. "Everyone seems to enjoy the ball."

"I don´t like crowds," he replied shortly. The woman in front of him was beautiful by all standards. Tall, an athletic figure, with soft brown tresses and jade green eyes, he wondered why she wasn´t inside, flirting with the men if not talking with the women.

"Neither do I," Makoto answered, much to his surprise. "I´m not used to it. It´s my first formal event since I-don´t-even-remember-when."

He raised an eyebrow at her, obviously not believing her words. He studied her quietly, then noted that she was looking back at him levelly, not like some of the women he´s met, blushing and fluttering their eyelashes. "I´ve never seen you before," he admitted, realizing that despite the number of social events he had been forced to attend as the head of Aegis´ research department, he really had never seen her before. If he had, he was sure he would remember.

"I´m Makoto Kino, owner of the new restaurant _Lune Argent_," she introduced herself.

"Trowa Barton," he responded shortly, kissing her gloved hand as he knew was appropriate.

"Do you have a job, Mr. Barton?" Makoto proceeded to ask.

"I work for Aegis," he answered, not liking to give too much information away to strangers.

"Funny, the majority of the people here seems to work for Aegis," she muttered to herself.

He looked at her questioningly, and she answered his unasked question. "The host, Mr. Chang, works at Aegis. My boyfriend told me. Then I met one of his model´s sister, and she works at Aegis too."

"Why are you out here and not with your boyfriend?" Trowa questioned. So she was already taken. No surprise there though. He should have guessed. He was tempted to ask who the man was, but he refrained himself.

Makoto shrugged. "He´s at ease in these surroundings, and he talks to his clients and friends. I don´t have too many of those, and I don´t like loud, crowded places, " she explained.

He gave a nod of acceptance for her answer, and stared out into the sky. Following his gaze, she could see nothing but pitch black, with the random star here and there, nothing spectacular.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, confused as to why he could observe nothingness.

"The stars," Trowa replied. "You don´t see them too much in the city."

With a start, Makoto realized that he was right. She had been too busy to notice that the skies of Tokyo seemed very far away, and the stars never twinkled in the busy city. But out here, further away, they danced the night away in the midnight sky. She snuck a glance at the man beside her. There was something about him, but she couldn´t quite put her finger on it. There was more to him than he was allowing her to see, a deeper side beneath the cool demeanor. It was the side that would converse freely with those close to him, the side that enjoyed stargazing and looked at life for a meaning beyond getting up everyday to earn money. And Makoto suddenly realized that she wanted to know that side of this mysterious man.

~*~*~*~*~

"Where is he?" It was a demand, not a question, and the laughter previously generated by one of Duo´s many jokes was silenced abruptly by this new arrival to the group.

"Good evening, Relena," Quatre greeted politely.

Relena smiled sweetly at him, obviously confident and comfortable in her low-cut, strapless lemon-yellow chiffon dress that showed more skin than what was considered decent. It hugged her figure tightly, showing off her every curve on her body. The chiffon fell softly around her hips and legs, highlighting her height. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, and the obviously expensive jewelry sparkled and shimmered every time the light caught it.

"Good evening, Quatre," she replied. "Have you seen Heero?"

"No, I haven´t," Quatre answered. "I thought he would be with you."

At this, Relena turned angrily at the petite blonde in front of her. "What did you do to him?"

"I stuck him in a caldron and boiled him while chanting magical spells," Usagi answered dryly, rolling her eyes. "How would I know where your boyfriend is?"

"That´s right," Relena bit out. "As long as you remember that he´s _my_ boyfriend!"

"Is he?" Minako couldn´t help but add fuel to the fire. "Mr. Yuy looked pretty comfortable with my sister last time at the Stone party."

"She also looked pretty comfortable with _him_," Relena jabbed a finger at Duo, "the time he went out with me and we happened to see them just before he walked out!"

"So he walked out on you when you were on a date?" Usagi asked, amused, though it sounded like something Mr. Yuy would do.

"NO!" Relena denied, glaring at her. "It´s all your fault! I know he wants to sleep with you, even if I don´t know why. You´re a child with no breasts, no hips, and you´re probably a virgin too."

Minako saw red at Relena´s outburst. It was one thing for her to disagree and argue with her sister on multiple occasions, but deep down, she knew Usagi loved her, and vice versa. No one insulted her sister like that.

"If it´s worth anything to you, Miss Peacecraft," Minako began coldly, "at least Mr. Yuy appears to disagree with you. Even if you´re right about my sister, which you aren´t, then you must be worse, because he doesn´t want you. He walked out on your date after he saw Usagi with Duo. That sounds to me like a break-up."

"What do you know?" Relena taunted with a smirk. "It´s not like he´s interested in you. You don´t even have a boyfriend. I´ll bet you can´t even get one."

That stung. Minako clenched her teeth. She knew that she didn´t have a love life. It wasn´t that she didn´t want one. She had dated many guys, but she had found that a lot of them liked Minako Aino, the supermodel, not Minako Aino, the woman. She was supposed to be perfect in their eyes, but she wasn´t, and she could never pretend to be. The "right guy" had yet to come along.

"That´s not true," Duo spoke up, frowning at Relena. "I know lots of guys who would date Minako. Not everyone needs to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. If Yuy didn´t show up with you, then you´re dateless tonight too."

Relena fumed silently, glaring at the man who defended her strongest competition, but it was Usagi´s quiet comment that made her stomp off, deciding that they weren´t worth her precious time at all.

"Would you agree with me, Miss Peacecraft," Usagi started softly behind a mask of quiet fury, "that being a virgin privately would be better than being a slut publicly?"

As soon as Relena was out of earshot, Duo turned to Minako and noticed tears glittering in the corner of her eyes. "Hey," he began, "I was being honest. I do know lots of men who would date you. You´re a much better person than Relena Peacecraft."

"Thanks Duo," Minako replied with a sigh. "I really appreciated that."

The first bars of music started, interrupting conversations and indicating that the dancing had officially started. Quatre looked around with a confused frown.

"Has anyone seen Makoto?" he asked. Seeing his companions shake their heads and not spotting his girlfriend anywhere in sight, he let out a sigh, wondering where she might have gone.

"Would you care for a dance, Usagi?" Duo asked hopefully, looking at the petite blonde.

Usagi agreed, deciding that she could at least grant Duo that. He really wasn´t a bad guy, and he had stuck up for her sister, something she was grateful for. She was mildly amused to see his indigo eyes light up with happiness as he led her out to the dance floor.

"Thank you for defending my sister, Mr. Maxwell," Usagi began the conversation.

"Hey, I was only telling the truth," Duo admitted. "I´ve wondered why she didn´t have a boyfriend before, but she told me that the right person hasn´t come along."

Usagi laughed. "The right person came along and hit her in the face," she remarked.

Duo looked at her, confusion clear on his face. Usagi merely shook her head. She couldn´t just tell him that he was right for her sister, especially when neither of them realized it. This was another reason she kept turning Duo down. Somehow, someway, he had to see that the two of them would be good friends, but that was all. As a couple, there was a high probability that they would drive each other insane, in a really bad way.

Looking around the ballroom, Usagi noticed that Ami and Wufei were half dancing near the entrance, just in case any late arrivals showed up. Quatre appeared to have asked Rei to dance instead. The raven-haired woman´s face was lit up brightly with a smile, the skirt of her red, sleeveless dress swaying around her as they danced and chatted amicably about something. Meanwhile, Minako was looking at her and Duo with a small smile on her face. Her eyes didn´t seem as bright as usual, as though she was torn between being happy for her sister, or sad about something else.

Grinning internally, Usagi decided that the matchmaking streak had to run in the family. If Minako won´t see that Duo was right for her, and vice versa, then Usagi herself would just have to step in with a plan of some sort. The first two steps formulated in her mind just as the song ended.

"How about another dance, Usagi?" Duo asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Actually, I was hoping for a favour from you, Mr. Maxwell," she stated, smiling brilliantly at him.

Bedazzled by the enchanting smile that flashed his way, Duo nodded, ready to agree to acting like a camel for the rest of his life if that was what she wanted.

"Do you think you can act like my sister´s date for the rest of the night?" she asked hopefully, much to Duo´s obvious surprise. "You see, I think she´s really hurt after what Miss Peacecraft said, and if you can make her feel better, I´d be eternally grateful."

"But wouldn´t that be like deceiving her?" Duo stammered a little, not quite sure what to say to the unusual request. It wasn´t everyday that the woman you liked asked you to pretend to like her sister.

Instead of answering the question, Usagi said, "I´ll go out on a lunch date with you, but just once." Anything to get the two of them to spend some time together, acknowledging what they could have as a couple. Besides, she was hoping that by the time Duo had finished his favour to her, he would realize that her sister was perfect for him.

Duo brightened instantly at her suggestion. After spending so much time and effort on trying to get her to agree on a date, he would be an idiot to turn down her offer. He nodded in agreement. "Deal," he said.

"Then I suggest you start by asking her to dance the next dance while I run off for some punch," Usagi replied.

Gracefully, she made her way off the dance floor and towards the punch bowl, where she helped herself to some of the drink. It was very. . .fruity, but it wasn´t bad. She helped herself to another cup while she watched Duo and Minako interact. They appeared to be having fun, laughing and talking together. They had been friends for so long that it never occurred to them that they could be a couple, but Usagi decided that she had to change that, before those two drove her insane with their not-quite-oblivious matchmaking schemes. She helped herself to more punch; it was really good.

~*~*~*~*~

He turned off the laptop sitting on the solid oak desk before glancing at the clock. The ball had been going for an hour and a half now, but he wasn´t exactly excited to attend. Still, as a favour for a friend if nothing else, he should make an appearance.

He walked through the empty halls to his room, where he put on a white silk shirt, a black tuxedo and a matching bowtie. Then he made his way downstairs. He had been in the house since late in the afternoon, but thanks to the size of the estate, no one knew that, not even Wufei. He had just wanted to get some work done.

Following the sound of the music, he made his way to the ballroom, and spotted Ami and Wufei still in the entranceway.

"What took you so long, Yuy?" Wufei asked him as soon as he spotted his friend. "We were just about to come to the conclusion that you died halfway here."

"I´ve been here since about five," he answered flatly.

"Good evening, Heero," Ami greeted with a smile. "Thanks again for letting me use your house."

He shrugged. "It´ll just sit around and collect dust if no one uses it anyway," he replied.

"So everyone´s here, sir?" one of the nearby maids questioned.

Heero glanced at Ami, who nodded. "You can serve dinner at nine-thirty," he told the maid, who bowed and scampered off to the kitchen.

"I suppose we don´t have to make you feel welcome," Wufei stated dryly to Heero.

Heero rolled his eyes as they made their way down the stairs into the ballroom. "Yes, show me the way to the bathroom," he muttered sarcastically, much to Wufei´s irritation.

His eyes scanned the room quickly, searching for something. Eyes from the female occupants of the room looked back, staring at him or looking him up and down the way you would a piece of jewelry before you bought it. It was as though they were assessing him for how much he was worth and what their chances are now that Relena Peacecraft was out of the picture.

"Do you ever feel like a piece of meat when they eye you like that?" Wufei asked him over Ami´s head. Her arm was tucked in his and she looked up at Heero to hear the answer.

"No," Heero replied, a sardonic smirk crossing his face. "I feel like a blank cheque."

Ami giggled softly and Wufei silently agreed, watching him walk off. "Who do you think he´s looking for?" Wufei asked his wife quietly.

Ami smiled knowingly. "We´ll see, won´t we?" she answered.

~*~*~*~*~

Heero slipped between the shadows that the Roman style pillars created around the ballroom, avoiding all possible contact with other people as he let his eyes wander carefully through the crowds. He had already said some short greetings to the clients he saw, but he didn´t want to make any more small talk. He didn´t see her, and he was starting to wonder if she was here at all. Suddenly, a figure bumped into him from behind.

"Ouch," the soft female voice muttered, "someone get the license plate of that truck."

He recognized that voice. Slowly, he turned around, his breath catching in his throat when he saw her. She looked like an angel from heaven, the white of her dress projecting her aura of innocence, those curls and ringlets making her look younger than she already did. She blinked a few times before meeting his eyes.

She smiled. "I was starting to think you weren´t going to come," she admitted.

Gently, he took both of her hands in his and gave her his usual smirk. "That sounds like you´ve been waiting for me, chibi-chan," he replied.

"Maybe I have," she giggled giddily. "I missed your company."

"Then I shall make sure never to come late for a formal event again," he promised. Even though his tone of voice was solemn, his eyes laughed at her. Something very strange must have happened to her. Last he remembered, the two of them hadn´t parted on good terms, and from what he knew of Usagi Aino, she would rather stab her eyes out and wander around a desert for the rest of her life before admitting something like that, especially to him.

Soft music started up in the background, and he graciously asked her to dance with him. As they swayed slowly in the dimness of the shadows, she gently rested her head on his shoulder, making him very aware of their closeness as well as the smell of fresh strawberries in her hair. Somewhere in the middle of the song, she tilted her head up to him.

"What would you do if I kissed you?" she asked, almost innocently. He could, however, swear that he heard the laughter in the question.

"Why don´t you try and we´ll see?" he teased her. He should have known just from the question that there was something really wrong with her, but she was flirting with him, and he decided that he could figure out what had happened to her later.

Usagi stood on her tiptoes and timidly touched her lips to his, and suddenly found herself locked in his arms, his mouth moving hungrily over hers. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him.

Heero groaned mentally. She was trying to kill him. Not only could he now feel every curve on her body against the length of his own, but her fingers were playing with his hair, and she was kissing him. Her lips tasted like vanilla, fruits, and. . .alcohol.

Abruptly, he pulled away and studied her completion carefully. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes dazed, but a little confused and a little blank. That was what was wrong. "You´re drunk," he stated monotonously.

He wasn´t sure if it was a relief or not. On one hand, he was glad that there was nothing seriously wrong with her, except maybe the fact that she was going to have a migraine the next morning. She hadn´t changed overnight. She was still the woman he had taken a sudden, unexplainable interest in. She wasn´t sucking up to him to get his money, and her wits were still about her. But he was also disappointed. She didn´t like him. She didn´t really miss him. And she kissed him because she was drunk and didn´t know what she was doing. That bothered him a great deal more than he wanted to admit. What if the man she had happened to bump into wasn´t him? Would she still have done the same thing?

"And you´re stoned," she replied airily. "I only had the punch. It was good."

"Chibi-chan," Heero answered flatly, "your 'punch´ is a mixture of citrus fruits and vodka."

"But it didn´t hurt," she pointed out.

Heero gave her a mocking smirk and started to lead her out of the ballroom. "Wait until the morning," he advised. "Now I think you should get some sleep. You can stay here for the night, since Ami and Wufei will. Trowa might too. Ami can just tell your sister you went home early."

As he led her down the hall to one of the guest rooms upstairs, she giggled and half tripped, half walked trying to keep up with him, almost falling a few times. They were almost in the guest wing when Usagi swayed uncertainly, her vision blurring.

"The house looks like it´s going through a time vortex," she muttered, gingerly touching her temple.

"How do you manage to sound intelligent even when you´re drunk?" he asked, chuckling to himself as he swept her up into his arms, princess style. It was just easier this way rather than wait for her to catch up to him. He walked into one of the many guest rooms, closing the door behind him.

"Kiss me?" she whispered softly when he put her down on the queen-sized bed.

"I think," Heero murmured, "that you´ve had enough for tonight. Go to sleep."

Much as he wanted to do as she asked, he knew she wasn´t aware of what she was doing. He had taken advantage of her before, and he had regretted it immensely. He didn´t want to feel that gnawing pain that came with the knowledge of having hurt her again. He was suddenly puzzled at his train of thought. Since when did he feel anything for other people?

"I´ll go to sleep if you kiss me," she continued, smiling at him.

He smiled back a bit and shook his head in disbelief. If only she acted like this on a regular basis. No, he didn´t really want her to be any different. He liked his chibi-chan the way she was. Life would be boring now without her constant sarcasm and those flashing sapphire eyes. Still, it was hard to resist her when she was asking for something as simple as a kiss and doing it so innocently. That was another bizarre thing. When other women did it, he would purposely not kiss them because he found it distasteful to ask. When she did it, it was just endearing, and he would bet the whole estate that if she tried, it could be seductive.

Heero sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms. "You promise, child?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"Pinky swear," she giggled.

The sound of her laughter was cut off by his lips. He had meant for it to be a peck, but he found himself being pulled onto the bed on top of her, and she wasn´t letting go. If he wasn´t sure before that she wanted to kill him, now he was. All his senses flared to life at the feeling of her soft, alluring body pressed between him and the bed. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, and he was well aware of every womanly curve on her body. She was anything but a child, and now, he darn well knew it. He silently made the revelation that the past few minutes have been very unhealthy for his state of mind, especially when he had been well aware that he wanted her and she was drunk. He let his hand wander down her body, stroking each hollow and curve. She whimpered and moaned softly under his experienced hands.

The foreign taste of alcohol in her normally sweet mouth broke the spell around them for the second time in the past half an hour. He stopped the kiss and removed himself from his position on top on her.

He looked down at her with eyes darkened by passion. She was staring back with confusion in her misty eyes. Her hair was swept out around her, framing her angelic face. It would be so easy to just forget that she was drunk and do what she was silently asking him to do with that pleading, innocent look. But that would give her a reason to hate him for the rest of her life when she woke up the next morning.

Much to his desire´s annoyance, he found a strong surge of protectiveness welling up from somewhere in his frozen heart. He didn´t want her to hate him. He didn´t want to hurt her. But most of all, he didn´t want to take her under these circumstances. Maybe he would regret it later for giving up such an opportunity, but right now, he knew he didn´t want to take advantage of her drunken state.

"Go to sleep," he managed to say calmly despite the unquenchable yearning he was feeling.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, her voice holding a curious and confused tone.

He wondered briefly if she knew what she was saying. "I´ll be happy to show you why," he murmured huskily, stroking her soft cheek, "if you´re still curious in the morning."

She blinked at him, and he chuckled lowly. Standing up, he headed for the door. "Go to sleep before I change my mind," he stated, glancing at her one last time before he left the room.

Much to his surprise, even though he should have expected it, he found Ami standing about three feet away from the guest room door.

He raised his eyebrows in question, and she stared back unblinkingly. "Is she okay?" she asked.

The way the question was worded made him smirk at the doctor. "She´s drunk and will probably have a headache in the morning," he replied.

She waited for him to say more, but he didn´t, so she dropped the tactful act, "You didn´t . . . ."

"No, I didn´t take advantage of her current lack of judgment," he answered, leaning back against the wall.

Ami visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "I should have warned her about the punch," she muttered to herself.

"You´ve been there all along?" Heero asked quietly.

Ami nodded. "I saw her looking a bit unusual, but she bumped into you before I got to her. I was worried about her, so I followed you." She blushed a bit. "I´m sorry, but I was afraid you might. . . ."

He gave a brief nod in response to her explanation. It wasn´t something he could fault Wufei´s wife for. She was merely looking out for a friend, which was perfectly reasonable, especially with his reputation.

"Why didn´t you?" she questioned out of curiosity. A brief pause followed, and she quickly retracted her comment. "Ah, that´s nosy of me. I shouldn´t have asked something like that."

Heero shrugged. Anyone else would have wanted an answer, but it was an answer that even he couldn´t give. "She would hate me in the morning," he responded simply.

He pushed himself off the wall and offered Ami his arm. "We should go back. They´re going to wonder what happened to the hostess and the blank cheque," he remarked, a little sarcastically.

Ami laughed softly and took his arm. "With all due respect, Heero, I don´t think every woman at the ball look at you like a blank cheque," she quipped, walking beside him down the halls and back to the ballroom.

"No, some see me as a credit card with no limit, and yet more see a bank account," he responded flatly.

Ami smiled as they reached the ballroom. There had been a change in Heero Yuy, one that she believed would be associated with her best friend. The Heero Yuy she knew before these past few hours was a man with a cool demeanor and an even colder personality. He didn´t care about other people´s feelings, especially not women´s, and he cared even less about the way people viewed him. But in a very short week, something had changed. He didn´t want Usagi to hate him. That was a pretty good sign that he cared about her, in the very least, as a friend. And if her hunch was right, even more than a friend.

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End of Chapter 10.

AN: Look! No cliffhanger! Unless you´re wondering what´s going to happen when Usa wakes up. XD Anyways, reviews are nice, and they encourage me to write faster. ^^


	11. Chapter 11: Raging Emotions

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: If they´re mine, I wouldn´t be freaking out over being accepted by universities right now.

AN: First, I´m sorry for the tardiness of this chapter. I didn´t do any writing over the March Break, as I thought I would. I went to see university campuses and out to celebrate a friend´s birthday, and I did some homework. Anyways, the first scene in this chapter came out unusually long. I hope you don´t mind.

SilverRay-chan: Short? . It was 17 pages!

Sailor Grape: Ami shouldn´t get together with Minako. LOL. Minako´s actually being active, but Ami´s more passive. She observes more than interferes.

SuperMoo: LOL. It´s really _not_ a cliffhanger, especially as compared to what I put people through with SW. ^^;;;

Angelight: My brain can only handle so many unusual couples at once. LOL. Actually, I originally planned only Heero/Usa. Then once I added Duo, Minako came along, and everyone else just grabbed themselves a seat. .

Serena Yuy: Relena probably won´t show up again for a few chapters.

Vixen: I like that! XD I think I´ll use that somewhere. LOL.

fireangel: Really, that wasn´t a cliffhanger, by my standards at least. I didn´t leave you with Heero taking her into a bedroom. =P

SerenityLNguyen: I don´t have a mailing list. Sorry.

miz: Hotaru and Mamoru will come back in later. As for the outers, I have a thought for Setsuna, but that´s it. We´ll see if they want to show up.

Minna-san: Thanks so much for your thoughts and comments. They really brighten my mood when I read them. ^^ I hope this chapter is to your liking as well. Enjoy!

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore.

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Chapter 11 – Raging Emotions

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Her mind slowly came out of the fogginess of sleep, to be replaced by a throbbing pain somewhere in her head. Out loud, she let out a soft groan. She wondered briefly what she had hit herself with. Snuggling under the unusually warm and heavy covers, she rolled over to her side and peeked open one eyelid to catch sight of the clock sitting on her nightstand.

Her vision was a little blurry, but she could distinctly tell that there was no clock on the night table. She frowned. She didn´t remember moving it before she went to bed the night before. Well, now that she thought about it, she couldn´t remember going to bed at all.

She opened her eyes wider, and saw a room heavily decorated with furniture that looked as though they were from the Victorian Era. Blinking sharply, she sat up quickly in bed, and found that to be a very bad idea. The throbbing in her head got worse, and she muttered under her breath.

Where was she? Fighting the headache, she took the time to look around the room. It was at least the size of her apartment if not bigger, with a lavender décor. She now noticed that she was in a queen-sized canopy bed, with fluffy blankets and pillows filled with down. The curtains were drawn, keeping the sunlight out of the room. There was a coffee table, along with two chairs and a love seat upholstered with velvet in the middle of the room. A dresser, a desk, and a closet were also visible from where she sat.

She noticed that the beautiful white dress that she had worn the night before was on a hanger hooked to the top of the closet door.

Frowning, she looked down at herself. Her eyes widened, and letting out a soft squeak, she practically dove under the covers, blushing madly. Whoever chose the nightgown was going to hear an earful from her when she found them. Getting over her initial shock, she slowly removed the covers to examine the piece of clothing a little better.

Actually, she wouldn´t call it a nightgown, she would say it was closer to lingerie. It was a very pale pink and made of silk so fine that it was translucent. The top was held up by spaghetti straps, but cut straight across. The material covering her breasts was made of soft lace in a matching pink colour. All in all, it showed off just enough, and hid just enough, to drive any sensible male insane.

Usagi sighed. This day just started wonderfully. She couldn´t remember how she got there last night. She didn´t know where she was. She had the biggest migraine. And now, she discovered that she was wearing something most people would see fit for seduction.

Just then, the door clicked open, and she made a mad dive for the covers.

"Are you up, dear?" a soft feminine voice asked as the door shut behind her.

Gingerly, Usagi peeked out to see a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length red hair, half pulled back with an elastic. She was a little on the plump side and wore a black and white maid´s uniform.

"Yes," she squeaked in reply. "Where am I?"

The woman walked to the windows and drew them open, letting so much sunlight into the room that Usagi had to shield her eyes.

"Why, you´re at the Yuy estate, of course," the woman answered, obviously surprised. "Several people stayed after the ball last night."

The ball? Oh yes, of course. Ami had a charity ball, and she had attempted to set up Mr. Maxwell with her sister. Then, she went to get some punch. And after that. . . Usagi drew a blank. What happened after that?

The headache came back full force, and Usagi let out a soft moan of pain, touching her temple gingerly.

"Are you alright, dear?" the woman asked, rushing to her side in concern.

Usagi smiled. The woman, who she assumed was a maid, reminded her of her mother, who she realized with a start that she was missing very much.

The redhead started mumbling to herself. "I told Mr. Yuy that you might want some rest after you woke up, but no, the man decides he wants to see you, so he told me to come in here and bring you to him."

Usagi startled. She was in Mr. Yuy´s house. She couldn´t remember what had happened the night before. She woke up in what was practically lingerie, and he wanted to see her first thing in the morning. Oh God, what in the world had happened? Now she was worried, and scared, and angry.

"Are you well enough to walk, dear?" the woman asked kindly, helping her out of the bed. "His office is just down the hall, outside the guest wing."

"I´m alright," Usagi replied softly. At least the nightgown was so long that it reached the floor.

The redhead nodded and showed her the bathroom, where Usagi had just enough time to brush her teeth before the woman insisted she couldn´t keep Mr. Yuy waiting and started to lead her out the door. Usagi resisted by pulling back. "Uh, do you have anything else I can wear?" she asked. "This is sort of . . .inappropriate."

"Oh, not at all," the woman replied breezily, pulling her out the door and down the hall with surprising strength. "It looks just fine, better than a lot of things other women wear nowadays. Those aren´t clothes. They´re pieces of cloth!"

Usagi laughed softly, deciding that she liked the lady very much, even if she was a little eccentric, at least in Usagi´s book, if she thought her current get-up was fine.

Before she knew it, the maid was knocking on a set of large wooden doors. A voice that Usagi now deemed familiar said, "Come in" in complete monotone. The maid pushed the door open and led her in.

The office was huge, and much to Usagi´s amazement, decorated artistically. Massive bookshelves lined the walls, and each one was filled with thick volumes of books. The walls held paintings from the Renaissance. In the middle of the room, a heavy oak desk sat along with a computer, piles and piles of papers and folders, and three armchairs. In the easy chair behind the desk, Heero was sitting with his laptop next to the computer, clicking away while his eyes were glued to some papers on his desk. He wore a light, white shirt with the first couple of buttons undone, contrary to his immaculate look in the office. Usagi felt a wave of foreign emotion crash into her at the sight he made against the floor-length windows behind him.

"Mr. Yuy, I´ve brought the young lady. She just woke up," the elder woman said a smile.

Heero nodded in acknowledgement, never looking up from his work. "Thank you, Naru. You can leave now," he muttered.

The woman turned and left, shutting the door quietly behind her. A few seconds of absolute silence followed before Usagi opened her mouth. "What did you do to me?" she demanded in a tone of voice that was not very pleasant.

"Good morning to you too. . . ." his voice trailed off when he made the mistake of looking up at her. Her blond hair, not yet straightened from yesterday night´s ringlets and curls, tumbled freely around her shoulders. Her sapphire eyes were flashing dangerously at him, and combined with the nightgown she was wearing, she looked like a temptress bent on his seduction, not he on hers.

Usagi blushed, knowing that he was staring and having examined the piece of clothing herself just a few minutes ago, she knew exactly what he saw. She could literally feel his eyes wander down her body. "Stop looking!" she snapped.

He smirked at her. "I´d have to be blind to stop looking," he pointed out, "but if you´d like, I can stop staring."

"You can stop stripping me with your eyes," she retorted.

"Now why would I do that," he started dryly, leaning back in his chair, "when the light from the window seems to be doing a fine job of it?"

He made a mental note to strangle Naru, who he had asked to take care of Usagi once he had escorted Ami back to the ball the night before. He had no doubt that she had changed the petite woman into the nightgown. Plus, even if she hadn´t chosen the clothing, she had gone to get Usagi. Could his housekeeper not make her put on something less revealing? If he didn´t know better, he´d say his chibi-chan was doing a fine job of either trying to seduce him, or trying to kill him.

Usagi stepped back from his desk, blushing. She knew that he was right. The material was translucent, so the window behind him didn´t help make it any less modest. "Don´t you think shutting the window will be a good thing then?" she asked flatly.

"I happen to be enjoying this," Heero replied, smirking at her rosy cheeks and modesty. Most women he knew flaunted their figures by wearing as little clothes as possible without ending up walking around naked.

She glared at him. "I, for some reason," she answered sarcastically, "am not. If you´re not going to close the curtains, then I will."

"Are you sure you want to let everyone outside my window see you dressed like this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You are absolutely infuriating," she stated, frustrated with her lack of control over the entire situation.

He chuckled at her outburst, then got up, taking the navy blue suit jacket off the back of the chair and walking up to her. She was glaring at him, but the closer he got, the less she glared. Instead, she was delicately touching her temple.

He wrapped the jacket around her shoulders, holding it tightly across the top and covering her upper body. "And you, chibi-chan," he murmured softly, "are too tempting to be good for me."

Usagi looked up to find him a little too close for comfort. She reached up to clutch his jacket tightly across her chest and carefully took a step back. "You make me sound like some sort of bad medicine," she replied, wrinkling her nose.

"Also known as a drug?" he suggested, his eyes mocking her.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Your choice of compliment amazes me," she bit out. "It will forever be a mystery to me why so many women flock to you like starving geese to fresh bread."

"It is continuously a mystery to me as well," Heero responded, amused. "If my compliments are so bad, why don´t you suggest a few?"

"I´ve never been quite as good as you," Usagi stated dryly. "However, I especially liked 'your eyes are as blue as salty seawater´."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Seawater is naturally salty," he commented.

"I know," Usagi replied. "That´s what I said too. The man looked at me blankly, then changed it to 'your eyes are as blue as non-salty seawater´."

Heero laughed. "Someone compared the colour of your eyes to seawater," he recapped.

"What? You don´t think it´s as original as comparing me to a drug?" Usagi asked, giving him a teasing smile.

"I give the man who came up with the seawater compliment an eight out of ten," Heero replied, giving her a lazy smile.

Usagi opened her mouth to ask why, when the migraine pounded her head again. She grumbled and rubbed her temple with her free hand. Heero, seeing her suffer from what he knew was a hangover, gently led her by her elbow to an overstuffed armchair. He made her sit down, then knelt down in front of her, touching her temples gently with his fingers.

Usagi closed her eyes at the feeling of his cool fingers massaging away the pain. As it slowly subsided, her eyelids fluttered open again, and she was met by his Prussian blue eyes. Staring into those pools of endless blue, she almost forgot about the pain entirely. They captured her so completely and utterly that she was almost afraid of her own feelings.

"A little better?" he murmured, letting his fingers come to a stop and slowly trailing them down her velvety cheek.

Usagi felt an involuntary trembling at the feeling of his fingers against her skin. She blushed a little and nodded. "Now would be a good time to tell me what you did to me and explain why I´m in pain," she suggested.

"I didn´t _do_ anything to you," Heero answered. "At least not what you think. Naru changed you and took care of you for the night after I found you drunk at the ball last night. And that leads to the explanation of your migraine. Chibi-chan, meet what we like to call a hangover."

Inwardly, Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder the elder woman thought she looked fine. She was the one who picked the nightgown. Processing the rest of Heero´s words, she frowned. "You can´t get drunk if you don´t take in alcohol," she pointed out.

Heero smirked. "The punch had vodka in it," he informed her.

Usagi sighed. "Go figure," she muttered. "Um. . .I didn´t do anything, did I?" She was feeling just a trifle uncomfortable not knowing what she had done between the time she drank the punch and the time she was put to bed.

"You´re sure you want to know?" he asked.

"No, I only asked because I don´t want to know," she replied, rolling her eyes. "It couldn´t have been that bad."

"It wasn´t bad for me," he answered with a small smile, making Usagi´s eyes widen and stare at him.

"Okay, maybe I don´t want to know," she stated wryly.

Heero shrugged. "Suit yourself," he stated. He felt a little disappointed that she didn´t even want to know what she had done once she found out he was somehow involved with it, but at least, they were having a relatively civilized conversation.

"What did I do?" Usagi asked again suddenly, looking at him curiously.

Heero stared back levelly. "You asked me to do what you think I did," he answered evasively.

A long moment of silence followed as Heero sat back into his chair, waiting for her reaction.

"But you. . .didn´t?" Usagi finally returned uncertainly.

"No, or you´d have pains somewhere other than your head, assuming you´re a virgin," he replied, not bothering to be discreet.

Embarrassed, Usagi blushed and looked away. She couldn´t believe that she had wanted him to do that, even if she had been drunk. She stole a glance at him from her lowered eyes. For some reason, she believed him, and she was truly thankful. Perhaps he wasn´t quite as horrible as she had thought. "Thank you," she mumbled the first thing that came to mind.

"You were drunk," Heero stated, as though in explanation for his actions. Attempting to move into a more comfortable subject, he asked, "Would you like some breakfast?"

Usagi smiled. "No, I´d rather have the dinner I missed last night," she joked, curling up into the chair.

Heero hit the intercom on his phone and Naru picked up on the other side a moment later.

"Would you like something, Mr. Yuy?" she asked.

"Can you bring some breakfast for Miss Aino, Naru?" Heero replied.

"Of course!" was the cheery answer. "What would the young miss like to drink? We have milk, orange juice, apple juice, peach juice, English tea, Chinese tea, green tea, black tea, coffee, expresso, cappuccino, and mocha."

"Cappuccino´s good," Usagi answered, raising her voice so Naru could hear on the other side.

Heero raised an eyebrow at her. Didn´t she say that she didn´t like coffee?

"How do you like your eggs done? Scrambled, omelet, sunny-side-up, hardboiled, benedict, fried, or poached?" Naru continued.

"Um. . .omelet," Usagi decided.

"And on the side? Apple, orange, grapefruit, peach, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bacon, ham, sausage, fries, toast, or waffles?"

Usagi glanced at Heero, who only mouthed "she likes to cook". "Strawberries, please," she answered.

"Alright, dear, I´ll have breakfast there in a few minutes," Naru´s voice rang out before the intercom was cut off.

"I think 'she likes to cook´ is an understatement," Usagi commented, smiling. "You´d think there were fifty people in the house."

"She´s been the housekeeper for as long as I can remember," Heero confessed. "Eccentric woman, but very nice and does her job well."

"Definitely eccentric," Usagi agreed. "She told me I looked fine when she dragged me in to see you earlier."

"You do look fine." At her scornful look, he smirked and added, "If you were planning on seducing me."

"As if you need encouragement," Usagi retorted.

A knock on the door interrupted his response, and Naru came in with a silver tray and Usagi´s breakfast. She chatted a little about having nobody to cook for in a house that was practically empty for eleven out of twelve months, to which Usagi replied amicably and sympathetically. Heero watched her interact with his housekeeper.

After Naru left, and as Usagi started cutting her omelet, he spoke up. "How come you´re so nice to Naru?"

Usagi looked up at him. Thinking that he meant to ask why she was treating his hired help so kindly, she replied, "It makes no difference to me what people´s status are in life. If she was a stranger on the street upset about her family, I´d be nice too. People are people. They don´t deserve more respect because of what their job is."

"I meant, how come you´re nicer to Naru than to me," Heero clarified.

"She doesn´t pick fights with me and she´s nice to me. Besides, you didn´t cook me breakfast," Usagi laughed. "I have an appreciation for food."

"I´ll remember that," Heero commented with a smile, leaning back in his chair to watch her. She created such a breathtaking image, curled up in the armchair with her feet tucked gracefully underneath her, draped in his jacket which was at least a few sizes too big for her, eating breakfast while her hair spilled luxuriously over her shoulders. It took all of his self control not to shove aside both his desk and that tray, then going over there and kissing her senseless.

It wasn´t until she had finished eating and was quietly sipping her drink that he remembered his earlier question. "I thought you didn´t like coffee," he remarked.

She glanced up at him and smiled. "Ami ordered it at lunch yesterday," she explained. "And it wasn´t too bad."

A brief knock on the door was followed by the entrance of Wufei, who didn´t bother to wait for Heero´s reply before coming in.

"Yuy, have you seen Usagi? Ami´s looking for her but she´s not in her room," Wufei said, not bothering to look around the room.

Heero nodded curtly in Usagi´s direction, which made Wufei aware of the third presence there. He looked surprised to see her curled up comfortably and finishing up breakfast in Heero´s office, of all places, but quickly regained his composure.

"Ami was wondering if you wanted a ride back to the city," he said.

"That´d be great, Wufei," Usagi replied with a grin. "But I need to find where my clothes are."

Wufei looked back and forth between Heero and Usagi, the question on the tip of his tongue but finding it just a bit tactless to ask. Despite the silent question, both of them sensed it.

Heero was the first to reply. "Yes," he said lazily, watching for Usagi´s reaction from the corner of his eye.

"What?! No!" she retorted, blushing.

"No to what?" Heero continued.

"Yes to what?" Usagi returned.

"When you sort out this husband-wife argument," Wufei interrupted flatly, "you can find me waiting in the garage."

He left quickly, not wanting to be on the receiving end of what he knew would be horribly biting remarks from both of them. Heero was very much against marriage, and even if Ami had mentioned that Usagi wasn´t against marriage, Wufei had a feeling that she wasn´t exactly dying to marry Heero, of all people.

"He´s going to get an earful in the car for that," Usagi decided, setting aside the tray and standing up.

Wufei´s comment hadn´t even fazed Heero, who completely dismissed it as a tendency to compare everything to married life now that he himself was married. Instead, he commented, "I didn´t know you were on a first name basis with Wufei."

Raising an eyebrow at what she could swear sounded like jealousy in his voice, she replied, "I didn´t know you were on a first name basis with Ami."

"Point taken," he noted, walking around his desk and up to her.

"That reminds me. I can cheerfully murder you for saying that to Wufei," she bit out, glaring at him.

"I´d come back to haunt you," he replied, pulling her into his arms.

"Your ghost, at least, won´t be as shockingly straightforward as you, Mr. Yuy," Usagi responded, pushing against his chest and looking up.

The next moment, her voice was smothered by his lips pressing against hers. At first, she resisted, refusing to kiss him back, but his lips were gentle, probing softly, and soon, Usagi found herself surrendering to the passion. His arms were warm and strong around her slender waist, and she could feel the security of being his embrace wash over her like a tidal wave.

Coughing from the doorway made Heero lift his face from hers, glaring murderously at the housekeeper, who was standing there and smiling brightly. Usagi turned her head and blushed deeply.

"Don´t mind me, dear," Naru stated, walking into the room. "I´m just here to pick up the breakfast tray."

"Not at all, I was just leaving," Usagi replied quickly. She tightened the jacket around her and almost ran from the room, only pausing in the doorway to look back briefly at Heero. His eyes met hers, and for one eternal moment, she lost herself in them. When she came back to reality, she knew that, despite her reluctance, she was developing feelings for him, and quickly, much too quickly. Scared at the revelation, she turned and ran down the hall to her room.

~*~*~*~*~

If the scene that greeted Rei in the living room wasn´t downright bizarre, then the one in the kitchen definitely convinced her that something was wrong with Minako. The living room had been dusted and vacuumed, the normally scattered belongings now put neatly in order, and a copy of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" lay on the coffee table. Minako was sitting demurely in the kitchen with a cup of English tea, flipping through a car magazine while noodles were being cooked on the stove.

Rei checked the calendar. It wasn´t April Fool´s Day. There was no blue moon, and no doctor´s appointments were marked in. She looked skeptically at Minako.

"Is this sickness contagious?" Rei blurted out.

Minako looked up from her magazine. "What sickness?" she asked, obviously confused.

"You cleaned the living room; you´re cooking; you´re reading a magazine related to technology," Rei listed. "Something has to be wrong."

Minako pouted. "You´re so mean, Rei!" she exclaimed, slamming the magazine shut and slouching in her chair. "I give up. I´ll never understand this stuff."

Rei helped herself to some of the tea Minako had made, not bothering to make her usual morning coffee. "Why are you trying to understand mechanics?" she asked, sitting down across the kitchen table from her roommate.

Minako sighed loudly. "You´ve ever been in an emotional dilemma?" she questioned.

Rei nodded. God knows she knew what Minako meant. It seemed like every working day was an emotional roller coaster for her, especially as of late. Mr. Winner was the nicest and most charming man she had ever met. Rei knew that most likely, she was crushing on him, if it was possible to have crushes at her age. She had always been a straightforward woman, and had the clocks spun back about ten years, she would have asked the man out. But time kept going forward. She was a twenty-seven year old working for Mr. Winner, not a high school junior. Plus, Mr. Winner had a girlfriend, one that was awfully nice and charming in her own way. Rei knew she would feel horrible if they broke up because of her.

Sighing in acknowledgement, Rei spoke, "Yes. I´m assuming you´re in the midst of one?"

Minako nodded a little sadly. "Something must have been in the punch last night," she muttered.

"Vodka," Rei answered, sipping her tea.

"That´s not what I meant," Minako replied. She twirled a strand of her hair around her right index finger. "Duo was especially attentive last night. It almost felt like we were a couple."

Rei nodded again, waiting for the normally bubbly Minako to continue.

"And I thought that it wasn´t so bad," Minako finished softly. "I mean, I never thought we´d work out, but I felt like there was something between us last night, something different and special."

"So what´s the problem?" Rei asked. "You like him and he´s not attached. Go for it."

"That´s just it." A pained expression appeared on the model´s face. "He likes Usagi, and I agreed to help him hook up with her."

"I hate to say this, Minako, but I told you so," Rei pointed out. "Usagi and Mr. Maxwell aren´t perfect for each other, and you were the one who insisted on helping him."

"I know, I know," Minako replied, slouching further into her chair. "Wait, you don´t think they´d be good together?"

"Have I ever said otherwise?" Rei questioned, standing up and taking her cup to the sink. "Look, she doesn´t like him. Never has, never will. She humoured him. They could be good friends, but they´d drive each other insane. They don´t have similar interests, and they´re not on the same wavelength, literally. You´re the one who shares Mr. Maxwell´s interests, career field, and outlook on life."

Minako sighed. "Still, I can´t exactly tell Duo that I´m not going to help him anymore. What will he think of me then?"

"For a self-proclaimed goddess of love, you surely aren´t very accurate with your arrows," Rei replied wryly.

"Cupid´s the one who shoots arrows and he´s a guy," Minako retorted.

Rei laughed. "Good comeback," she remarked.

"Thanks. Usagi used that one on me when I said I shot arrows like the goddess of love," Minako giggled.

Rei picked up the car magazine. "So you were trying to be more like her, I´m guessing," she stated.

"I thought that if I was, then maybe he´ll notice," Minako admitted. "I want to try a relationship."

"Well, don´t try too hard," Rei commented, grabbing her purse from the cupboard underneath the sink. "I told you that I think Usagi and Mr. Maxwell´s personalities clashed, and if you started acting exactly like her, then you don´t have much of a chance in the long run either."

Impulsively, Minako jumped up from the chair and hugged her best friend. "Thanks Rei!" she said with her normal smile. "I´ll see how everything goes before doing something rash."

"I thought we just agreed you´ll be yourself," Rei teased. "Anyways, I have a lunch date with Miss Kino."

Minako nodded happily. "Anything you want, Rei, just ask," she stated.

Rei smiled and headed for the door, torn between dreading her afternoon at Mr. Winner´s or happy about seeing him away from the work environment. "Just be there for me when I need it," she whispered softly, quickly leaving the apartment.

~*~*~*~*~

Ami sat quietly in the passenger seat of the car, watching in amusement as her husband gripped, then loosened, then re-grip the steering wheel over and over again. The muscle in his jaw twitched, and she knew from experience that this was a signal that there was something he wanted to say, but didn´t know how to begin.

They had just dropped Usagi off at her apartment. Throughout the ride, the young woman had alternated between chatting with Ami and giving Wufei a piece of her mind regarding his comment, one that Ami still hadn´t gotten the privilege to hear. She had been curious, but resisted the urge to pry. After all, Usagi was the only woman she´s met that could make Wufei speechless with her wit, other than Ami herself. Now, they were just "going for a drive", as Wufei had suggested.

Finally, Ami decided to put her husband out of his misery. "What is it?" she asked.

"Does she like Yuy?" Wufei replied as bluntly as he could. He had little patience for trivial things like tact when he was talking to someone as close to him as his wife.

Ami laughed softly. "I think you should have asked her," she stated.

"And get my head bitten off for the rest of the week?" Wufei answered blandly.

Ami smiled. "I don´t know if she likes Heero," she said. "She never said anything to me."

Wufei proceeded to explain what he had walked in on this morning: the comfortable atmosphere, the relaxed bantering, the sparks literally flying through the air. Ami´s grin widened. It seemed like her hunch was right.

Wufei noticed her change in expression. "It´s not going to happen," he predicted.

"Hmm?" Ami murmured, glancing over at him.

"It won´t work out between Usagi and Yuy," Wufei clarified. "So stop hoping."

Ami frowned. "He´s changed in the past week, you know," she replied.

"She doesn´t know anything about him and his background," Wufei pointed out. "Plus, please tell me you´re more realistic than thinking Yuy can actually fall in love with a woman. His opinion of them is harsher than mine."

"You were the one who told me she affected him," Ami argued.

"She does," Wufei admitted with a shrug. "And Barton and I think it´s amusing. But we don´t think he could actually love her. More likely, he wants her. I didn´t think he was her type, but now, I´m not so sure. I´d hate to have a hurt friend and an angry wife."

Ami looked away. Her husband was wrong. He had to be. She saw the way Heero looked at Usagi. That tender, affectionate gaze couldn´t just be generated from lust, could it?

~*~*~*~*~

"Quatre, Miss Hino, this is Mr. Trowa Barton," Makoto introduced. "I met him last night at the ball and it turned out that he plays tennis, so I invited him. I hope that´s okay, Quatre."

"Of course," the blond replied, internally gritting his teeth. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Mr. Winner," Trowa answered, giving Quatre´s hand a firm shake. "You have a nice place."

"It´s empty too often," Quatre returned politely with a smile. So his girlfriend had walked off and met another man last night. Nothing to be angry about. After all, he was the one who neglected to include her in the conversation. It was his fault, not hers. Plus, Makoto had lots of male friends back in high school. This was nothing to get worked up over.

"I understand the feeling," Trowa stated. He turned to Rei, who had been rooted to her spot beside Quatre since he walked in. "Nice seeing you again, Miss Hino. How are you?"

"No longer wanting to blow up everyday after work anymore," Rei stated dryly.

Trowa´s green eye twinkled. "You still hold the record for the longest lasting secretary," he informed her lightly, a bit of amusement laced through his voice.

"I´m _so_ honoured," Rei replied sarcastically. "How are everyone at Aegis? I get some news from Usagi, but she works with different people than I did."

Trowa was surprised. "You appear to know the latest addition to my department," he remarked.

Quatre seethed internally. Not only does the brown-haired man know his girlfriend, but he knew his secretary too? This wasn´t going over too well with him. Both of the women in his life had no problems conversing with this stranger, and he wasn´t too happy about that. Suddenly, he frowned. Both of the women in his life? He had an explanation for Makoto. She had been the woman he thought about day and night and pined for all these years. He had no doubt they would eventually marry. But he had no hold over Miss Hino. She was just his secretary, and perhaps his friend. There was nothing he could do even if she was dating this Trowa Barton.

Makoto coughed lightly, breaking the conversation between Trowa and Rei. "I´m sorry, but could we move to the court?" she asked, smiling. "I haven´t played in the longest time."

The small group followed Quatre to his tennis court. Rei was still telling Trowa about some of the things Usagi had said to ward off men when they had gone apartment-hunting about a week ago.

Makoto, once again, felt left out. She had met this Usagi, but she didn´t know her like her two new friends. She could see the slight laughter in Mr. Barton´s eyes as he chatted with Rei, and a strong surge of jealousy ran through her. Instantly, she shook herself. She already had Quatre. It was just wrong to chase after another man when she was already dating one, especially one as wonderful as Quatre. Still, as she glanced at Trowa Barton out of the corner of her eye, she couldn´t help but wish he´ll notice her.

************************************************

End of Chapter 11.

AN: The next chapter won´t be out for awhile. I´m sorry. I have a Classics ISP due at the end of the month, one that I haven´t started on. Still, please review! I appreciate them. ^^ 


	12. Chapter 12: On the Surface

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was, never will be. Glad we have that cleared up.

AN: Another chapter out earlier than I expected. ^^ Yes, I´m still busy with schoolwork. I´ve yet to finish reading _La Morte d´Arthur_ for my Classics ISP. My teacher, however, was nice enough to let me extend the date till April 16th, so I´m trudging along.

Silver-Star: LOL. I´m quite insane myself, so don´t worry. ^^

frosty: I´ve had mixed opinions about the Rei/Quatre/Makoto/Trowa love square. At the end of last chapter, I thought about putting up the two couples to a poll, but decided that because of the way I´ve written it already, there´s one outcome that´s better than the other.

Cherry: It´s eleven chapters, but really, about a week´s gone by in their time. =\

Sailor Grape: You didn´t get to see the conversation because I would have run out of ideas. LOL.

Celestial Dreamblaze: Well, aren´t you curious to know why Heero hates marriage so much? ^_~

LunaPrincess: Don´t worry. It´s not rude, it´s true. =P I didn´t want to use it, but it was so perfect for the two scenes that followed it. Plus, there´s one line that I want to use badly later in the fic that needs her to be drunk at some point. The things I do for future chapters. LOL. I hope you laugh at this one. I think a couple events in here are insanely funny, but I´ve been known to have a twisted sense of humor.

Lady Light: There always a first time! XD Quatre is human too.

moon princezz: The journey is part of the fun. ^_~ If they got together in the first chapter, the story would be that much more bland.

Minna-san: You guys are just incredible. All of you have different guesses and thoughts, and many of your comments, even those reviews you think are insane, really inspire me on parts of the fic. I´m very, very thankful for all your thoughts. Once again, earlier chapter than I expected. I hope you like and laugh. ^_~

Warnings: AU, OOC-ness galore.

Notes: I forgot to reference a couple of lines last chapter. "I´d come back to haunt you" is Ryogo´s line in Front Mission 3. I´m pretty sure I´ve seen it elsewhere, but FM3 is where I first saw it.

*******************************************

Chapter 12 - On the Surface

*******************************************

Rei was typing out a letter for Mr. Winner, her eyes glued to the screen in front of her. She barely noticed when her boss walked quietly into her office, seemingly wanting to ask something, but not knowing how to.

Glancing up, the violet-eyed woman giggled softly, making the blond blush. "Can I help you, Mr. Winner?" she asked him, momentarily stopping her work.

"Well," Quatre uttered, scratching the back of his head and feeling a bit embarrassed. "The question is a bit personal."

Rei blinked and smiled. How very like her boss to be considerate enough to let her tell him whether he could ask or not. She nodded encouragingly. "Go ahead," she said.

That was the prompting Quatre needed. In a flurry of words, he burst out, "How do you know Mr. Barton?"

"Is that all?" Rei replied, amused that he thought it was personal. She had thought he was going to ask something like how many men she had dated in her life. "That´s simple enough. We used to work in the same office building. I was Mr. Yuy´s secretary and he was the head of research. Inevitably, he ended up at my desk a lot."

"Oh," Quatre responded dumbly. Now he felt foolish. Of course. He had even known Miss Hino used to work at Aegis. So why was it such a big surprise that she knew Trowa Barton, who also worked at Aegis? "I was just curious," he added, turning to leave.

Quietly entering his own office, Quatre wondered to himself why he even bothered to ask. It wasn´t as if it made a big difference how Miss Hino and Mr. Barton met. Then again, he felt warmer, more comfortable, after hearing Miss Hino´s explanation. It had been satisfactory and acceptable, unlike Makoto´s answer. He frowned slightly. His girlfriend had just told him that she got bored, walked out to a balcony, and met the man. It wasn´t as if Quatre didn´t believe her, or was faulting her for attempting to make new friends. The thought just rubbed him the wrong way. Why hadn´t she said something to him? He thought she should at least have told him she was taking a walk. He had been worried about her when he couldn´t find her at dinner.

Sighing, he turned back to his work. Makoto had always done things the way she wanted. He doubted that she would change now to suit his needs. Besides, he had said he didn´t mind. Quatre twirled the pencil in his hands, wondering what had happened to the bond between him and Makoto. He had never minded her independence before. In fact, he had been terribly grateful for it. Back in high school, all of his friends had said that he was lucky because his girlfriend had been the only one who wasn´t clingy. And he had agreed. So what was wrong now?

~*~*~*~*~

Minako checked her appearance for the umpteenth time in the mirror. Nervously, she pulled the brush through her hair again. Why was she so jumpy? All she was doing was going over to the set of Duo´s new movie and asking, as a friend, whether he would join her for lunch. No big deal.

Letting out a sigh, the blonde picked up her purse and made her way to the set. It seemed like the thought of Duo had a much stronger effect on her now that she had made the revelation that she may like him as more than a friend. Maybe it was because she knew very well that he liked her sister. But who´s to say that he didn´t see what she saw at the ball?

Minako was so busy thinking that she didn´t notice where she was going. She crashed into a person and would have fallen to the ground if the other person´s reflexes hadn´t been so quick.

"Hey Minako!" the subject of her thought bubbled, a wide grin on his face. "Fancy bumping into you here!"

Although the thought of meeting Duo made her nervous, once she was actually in his company, it was all forgotten. His presence calmed her down, made her comfortable. "Hey Duo," she replied with a smile. "How´s the movie coming along?"

"If we get through the scene where the female lead confronts her mother, then we can move on, but the actress seems to be having problems," the braided man told her. He checked his watch. "I have to hurry before Usagi takes off for lunch with someone else."

Minako´s smile fell. He hadn´t made the same revelation as her.

Immediately noticing her change in mood, Duo peered curiously at her. "You okay, Minako?" he asked.

"Of course!" Minako answered immediately, pasting on her fake smile. "I just didn´t know you were having lunch with Usagi, since you told me she was always turning you down."

"Well, you suggested it, remember?" Duo reminded her, making Minako wince internally. "I´m surprising her at the office!"

"Oh," Minako replied. "You sure she won´t get mad?" Inside, she knew that Duo´s decision wouldn´t waver, but she didn´t want him to be wasting his time with her sister, who just tossed his efforts out the window. Mentally, she slapped herself. How could she think that? She had agreed to help Duo. She should be giving him suggestions, not discouraging him because of her own feelings.

"Nah, she promised me a lunch date anyway," Duo grinned.

Minako was surprised. Maybe Usagi was remotely interested in Duo after all? She knew her sister never liked leading people on, and Minako probably could count the number of men her sister had dated on one hand. "How did that happen?" she wondered out loud, although whether it was curiosity or dismay that prompted her to ask, she did not know.

"It´s really an exchange of favours," Duo responded nonchalantly. "Anyways, I have to go. Talk to you later, Minako!"

A minute later, his figure disappeared around the corner, heading towards the imposing Aegis building. Blinking back unreasonable tears, Minako walked back to the studio where she had come from. As she passed by a store window, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair shone from the time she had spent brushing it. She was decked out in a cute yellow sundress and sandals, yet, Duo seemed to have looked right past her special care in appearance. Maybe Rei was wrong. Maybe Duo and her sister´s personalities really were as perfect together as she had thought.

Seeing a nearby newsstand, Minako squared her shoulders and walked up to it, resolutely selecting a magazine on the latest development in computer technology.

~*~*~*~*~

"So that´s why I have to cut back some of the funding for the research department," Wufei told Trowa as the two went over the latest files together.

Trowa nodded and flipped through the financial records. "Are you sure there´s no other way?" he asked. "We have two major projects going on, the Tokyo Tower´s lights and the company security system. A lot of my workers have been putting in extra hours."

"I´ll look into it again, but unless Yuy decides to be extra lenient in this month budget, then we´ll go over," Wufei replied.

Trowa´s reply was cut off by the sound of knocking. "Come in," he called out, and immediately, a brunette came in with an indigo-eyed man.

Both Trowa and Wufei recognized him as Duo Maxwell the actor, and the young woman almost had hearts in her eyes as she spoke. "Mr. Barton, Mr. Maxwell was wondering if he could visit the department."

"I suppose it shouldn´t be a problem," Trowa answered nonchalantly. "You know the rules, Miyuki."

"Thanks, Mister!" Duo called out, grinning at Trowa.

Miyuki led the braided man out of the office, eager to show the famous actor around, but wondering what interested him so at the same time. Meanwhile, Wufei gave Trowa a look.

"He doesn´t look very bright," the Chinese man deadpanned.

"Don´t judge a book by its cover, Wufei," Trowa replied, slightly amused. "Now, as I was saying before about the extra hours."

~*~*~*~*~

Duo nodded mindlessly at the office tables and computer animation that the young woman was showing him. He did not understand a word she was saying. Letting his eyes wander around the work tables, he tried to catch a glimpse of long blonde hair, but couldn´t spot her. Maybe he was in the wrong department? He turned to the woman beside him.

"Uh. . .can you tell me if you´re familiar with a Usagi Aino?" he asked, interrupting the young woman´s speech on technology.

The brunette, Miyuki, blinked. "Does she work here?"

"Yea, I think so. She has long blonde hair, blue eyes, kind of short," Duo described.

"Oh, the new girl!" Miyuki exclaimed. "There´s rumors around that the big boss himself recommended her. Anyways, yea, she´s in the lab, I think."

Duo brightened. So he didn´t end up in the wrong part of the giant Aegis building. "You think I can see her?" he prompted.

Miyuki sat down at her desk. So her idol was here for another woman. Of course, why else would he show up at her work office? It wasn´t like they knew each other. "I can´t take you there," she told him. "It´s against the company´s policy to let non-workers into the lab."

Duo frowned slightly. That wasn´t good. He was here to see Usagi, and she was in the lab, but he wasn´t allowed in the lab. "I won´t steal anything," he stated. "It´s not like I even understand anything."

Miyuki shook her head. "I can´t. If you really want to convince someone, you have to go to Mr. Barton," she replied.

"Okay," Duo responded immediately. He smiled at the young woman. "Thanks for your time." Then he sauntered off back to the office he had first gone into.

~*~*~*~*~

"I like that idea," Trowa muttered. "We should have thought of it earlier."

Wufei nodded, but before he could say anything, the door was flung wide open. Annoyed, he turned around. Who in the world was rude enough to just walk into Barton´s office? Even Yuy knocked before he came in. Alright, so he and Barton didn´t knock when they went to Yuy´s office, but that was only because they were very close friends. And of course, it was because Yuy never answered the door. When Wufei saw the braided man standing in the doorway, grinning like an idiot, he had to mentally tell himself that he didn´t want to be accused of physically harming a famous actor.

"Yes?" Trowa said, raising an eyebrow at the intruder.

"Mister, I was wondering if I could go into the lab to talk to Usagi," Duo said none too eloquently. "Usagi´s the blonde girl who´s new to your department."

"And you, have you heard of knocking?" Wufei snapped, sending a glare his way.

Duo scratched the back of his neck. "Well, the last time I came in, you didn´t look that busy," he explained. "Should I go out and knock?"

Wufei´s eye twitched.

"I can´t let you into the lab, Mr. Maxwell," Trowa answered the actor´s earlier question. "It´s company policy. However, if you´ll wait for another fifteen minutes or so, lunch break will be starting. Miss Aino will probably come out of the lab by then."

"Oh, I guess that´s okay," Duo responded. "Um. . .so what do I do for the next fifteen minutes?"

"You get me a cup of coffee," Wufei butt in sarcastically.

Duo blinked. "Uh. . .sure, I guess," he decided. "Sugar and milk?"

Wufei´s eye twitched more. He remained silent.

"I´ll take that as a no," Duo stated. "I´ll be right back with that coffee." And the door shut with a loud slam, making most of the people in the office jump. No one ever closed the door that hard in the busy Aegis building, except for an angry Mr. Yuy, who no one really wanted to come face to face with. He was grumpy enough when he wasn´t angry.

In Trowa´s office, Wufei turned to Trowa with a look of exasperation. "Who said you couldn´t judge a book by its cover?" he asked flatly.

~*~*~*~*~

It was about five minutes before the lunch break that one could observe Mr. Heero Yuy, the owner of Tokyo´s largest electronic company, walking purposely towards the main office of his research department, his footsteps echoing in the otherwise quiet and empty hallway.

He wondered what in the world had happened. Whatever it was, it seemed as though all his employees were finding it interesting enough to gossip about. Plus, it was important enough that Trowa had asked him to come down. As he walked into the research department, he could see a large circle of people crowded around the kitchenette of the floor. Someone in the middle appeared to be holding a fire extinguisher.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?" he bellowed none too nicely, making his employees part like the Red Sea and allowing him to see the centre of attention.

His eyes darkened dangerously when he spotted Duo Maxwell looking at him sheepishly. Heero was not at all pleased to see the man in the building, forget what he had done.

"If you´re not involved in this situation, please go back to your work," he ordered monotonously.

His workers scurried off, leaving Trowa, Wufei, Mr. Maxwell, and Trowa´s secretary, Miyuki.

Now, he could see the mess that had everyone interested. The whole area that was the kitchenette was blackened with soot, as was parts of Mr. Maxwell´s person. The fridge and stove seemed to still be in one piece, but the microwave looked like it had been run over by a bullet train a few times, and the coffee and toast makers were lying on the floor. Spilled coffee was all over the floor as well.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Explain," he stated darkly.

All eyes turned to the braided man, who looked as though he was a young teenager waiting for the school principle´s verdict of whether or not he would be suspended. "Well, you see, Sir, I was getting a cup of coffee for Mr. Chang. . .uh, that´s your name, right? Anyways, I put it into a cup and tried to heat it in the microwave. Then the microwave kind of exploded."

Heero noticed that Wufei´s eye was twitching. "Something you want to add, Wufei?" he prompted tonelessly.

"The cup was Miss Fujisaki´s," Wufei stated, biting back the words he really wanted to say.

"The microwave is a year and three months old, not old enough to spontaneously combust," Heero informed them, narrowing his eyes. "Now, any idea why it might have exploded?"

Miyuki gulped audibly. "Mr. Yuy, the cup was made of metal," she answered quietly. "A friend brought it back as a souvenir for me from Africa. And since I generally just drink water, I thought it´d be okay to take to work."

Wufei couldn´t keep quiet any longer. He blew up. "What kind of _idiot_ puts _hot_ coffee into the microwave to try and heat it up?!" he demanded.

"What kind of idiot put _metal_ into a microwave?" Heero added dryly, looking pointedly at a sheepish Duo.

"I don´t really know how to cook, and the coffee felt cold," the braided man answered both questions.

"Oh my god, what happened here?" a female voice suddenly interrupted them.

All eyes turned to the petite blonde figure standing in the entranceway, holding a cup in her hand and staring wide-eyed at the blackened kitchenette.

Trowa, who had been silent since Heero had appeared, now pointed to Duo. "He put Miss Fujisaki´s metal cup into the microwave," he answered.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at the embarrassed Duo.

"Well, I was waiting for you," he protested. "So, can we go out for lunch?"

Heero stiffened even more. He was not having a good day. First, this braided man that he now decided he hated with an unexplainable passion blows up the microwave in his research department´s kitchenette, and now, he was asking his chibi-chan out without even trying to compensate for the damage he caused.

"And this is why they, and by 'they´ I mean 'me´, conclude that my hypothesis on Maxwell being an idiot was correct from the beginning," Wufei muttered, rolling his eyes.

A few minutes of silence ensued before Duo decided to speak up. "By 'me´, you mean 'I´, right? Because otherwise, that´s a pretty retarded sounding sentence," he pointed out.

Wufei glared murderously at the actor, cursing the minute that he walked into the office.

"Stupidity appears to be contagious," Heero stated dryly. However, his eyes were boring into Usagi´s, not Wufei or Duo´s, which made the young woman smile nervously at him.

"We can go out for lunch, Mr. Maxwell, but that doesn´t mean we will," Usagi commented, attempting to change the direction of Heero´s glare. She suspected that he was angry because the actor was asking her out, but for what reason, she couldn´t be sure.

"But you promised me we will," Duo returned, which made Heero glare harder at poor Usagi, who slowly inched away from him.

Usagi sighed. It was true, and it appeared that Mr. Maxwell was more dense than she´d first thought. It looked like step two of her plan would have to be put into action. "Fine, let me get my jacket," she replied shortly, turning on her heels and walking quickly out of the area.

"You let him into the office, you take care of this," Heero stated, looking at Trowa and Wufei. "If you want, you can have the cost of renovating this alcove taken from your paycheck."

Then he disappeared around the corner, leaving Trowa and Wufei to glare at the braided man and work out the numbers.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi shrugged on the baby blue, knee-length spring jacket over her white blouse and matching blue skirt. Who would have thought Mr. Maxwell take up her favour so quickly? Then again, who would have thought Mr. Maxwell was so darn dense? Couldn´t he see that Minako would be perfect for him? Heck, they even appeared to have the same habits when it came to using the microwave.

Amused, Usagi smiled to herself as she recalled an incident in high school when Minako had accidentally blown up the microwave and set the whole kitchen on fire.

"I´m glad you´re happy about your date," came the cold voice from the doorway to the lounge.

Usagi jumped and whirled around. Seeing Heero´s forbidding figure standing there made her recall the incident in his office, and quickly, she backed away from him.

"What´s it to you?" she retorted.

Ignoring the question, Heero closed the door to the lounge behind him and strolled into the room. "You asked him out," he stated rather than asked.

"That didn´t answer my question," Usagi pointed out.

"I´m not trying to answer your question," Heero replied. He stopped his advance five feet in front of her.

"What does it matter whether I asked him out or he asked me out?" Usagi responded, annoyed. "I´m not your mother, your sister, or your wife. I don´t owe you an explanation!"

"You can´t be my mother," Heero pointed out dryly. "I certainly hope you´re not my sister. And if you were, I´d lock you away from Maxwell."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Subtle, aren´t we?" she muttered under her breath.

Heero heard her anyway. "I try," he responded in the same sarcastic tone as her. He closed the remaining space between and cupped her face in his hands. "So the only way you´ll explain is if you´re my wife?" he mocked her.

Usagi blushed, unable to look away from those Prussian blue eyes that bore deep into her soul. She shivered at the gentle way he was stroking her cheeks.

"I didn´t ask him out," she answered softly, suddenly feeling as though she needed to explain. "I think he´d be perfect for my sister, and I´m trying to get him to see that."

"Why do I find it hard to believe you can convince him of that by going out with him, chibi-chan?" Heero replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

Usagi laughed and stepped away from him. "You sound like you´re jealous," she teased him with a grin, buttoning up the jacket.

"Am I not allowed to be?" Heero asked nonchalantly, putting his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants.

Usagi froze, and slowly looked up at him. She was honestly stunned beyond belief. "Well, you´re certainly allowed to be," she responded, staring wide-eyed at him. "But you never are. Why would you be? I mean, you can´t be. It doesn´t make sense."

She looked at him and he stared back. Usagi´s heart fluttered at the sight he made. As always, he looked immaculate in his black suit. His hair was falling into those eyes that never failed to hold her captive, and all of a sudden, she found that she wanted to brush them out of his eyes with her fingers.

As though he was sick of merely looking at her, he crossed the room and gently pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. Her small body fit like a jigsaw puzzle against his, and he could smell the scent of vanilla in her hair.

Unable the explain the warmth that wrapped itself like a blanket around her heart, Usagi closed her eyes and snuggled into his embrace, her head seeming to fit perfectly into the crook of his neck, the spicy scent of his cologne tingling her senses. She was sure that he could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest.

"When it comes to you, chibi-chan, nothing makes much sense," he whispered, a bit of wonder and confusion in his normally confident voice.

Usagi laughed, pushing against his chest and looking up at him. "If it´s any consolation to your ego, you make less sense than I do, Mr. Yuy," she teased him.

"The best compliment I´ve ever received," Heero replied dryly.

Without warning, he bent his head and kissed her, slowly at first and then more urgently. He gently pried her mouth open and shamelessly explored their depths. She kissed back, losing herself in the passion he offered and wanting to give something back in return. She clung to him, wrapping her slender arms around his neck and feeling like her legs were going to give out. Where had he learned how to kiss? Every time they do, it left her weak and breathless.

They were both having trouble breathing when he finally pulled away. Usagi looked at him, dazed from the kiss.

"I think you enjoyed that more than I did," Heero teased her, watching her eyes try to refocus. At least he seemed to have succeeded in making her senseless.

Usagi gave him a weak smile. "It was different from the ones you gave me before," she whispered.

"It helps when there´s participation from both parties," he commented with a smirk. Noticing the way she held on tightly to him, he added, "Can you stand, chibi-chan?"

"Hold me for a bit longer," she pleaded softly. She still felt weak, and looking into his mocking eyes, she knew that even if she was scared of her growing feelings, she couldn´t deny them. But what would it all come to? When he got what he wanted, she´d just be another tally on that growing list of women who had come and gone in his life. She didn´t want that. Unconsciously, she buried her face in his chest, her hands tightening on the lapels of his shirt.

"Chibi-chan," Heero murmured, "you won´t be able to leave this building for a long time if you keep doing that."

Usagi looked up, confused. "What are you going to do, handcuff me to you?" she joked.

"I´m not into bondage," Heero replied dryly, earning him a playful punch in the arm from Usagi.

"I´m sure you´ve developed your own form of entertainment," she huffed, pulling away from him and picking up her purse. She looked at the clock as she headed for the door. "Mr. Maxwell must be wondering if I´ve died somewhere between the kitchenette and here by now," she muttered.

"Yes, from lack of air," Heero mocked, following her back to where they had left the actor.

"Then you should have died too," Usagi returned bitingly, sending a glare his way.

Heero suddenly stopped her in the middle of the hall, just out of earshot of Wufei and Duo, who they could see were standing at the end of the hall, waiting for them.

"Tell me how this is supposed to convince him," Heero requested softly. If he was going to watch another man take his chibi-chan out for lunch, he felt that he should know the reason he was letting that man walk out of the building injury-free. Why did he absolutely need to know? He didn´t know, but it was an instinct, a gnawing insistence, and he never ignored his gut feeling.

"Still jealous?" Usagi giggled softly. Whoever would have thought Heero Yuy was even capable of jealousy at all, let alone the fact that it was because _she_, a common girl from a town one wouldn´t even have heard of, was going out with someone else.

He remained silent, merely waiting for her answer while keeping an eye on the curious Duo and impatient Wufei, making sure they still couldn´t hear the conversation.

"My sister is exactly like him," Usagi explained quickly. "She even blew up our microwave at home. If I could just show him how horrible a relationship between him and me would be, then he´d realize Minako is perfect for him."

The explanation left Heero dissatisfied. He didn´t think it was such a great plan. Or maybe he just didn´t like the plan. Or it could be because he simply didn´t like the idea of her going out with someone else, despite the fact that he really had no claim over her. So, in conclusion, he was biased.

He looked into her eyes, and was faintly surprised to see the pleading in them. She was silently hoping for his approval. She would probably go ahead with her plan no matter what he thought, but the mere fact that she wanted him to side with her left him with a feeling of warmth.

"If it backfires on you, I´m getting a restraining order on him," Heero threatened half seriously, half jokingly, his eyes glinting as he regarded the woman in front of him.

Usagi smothered her laughter behind her hand. "Fifty feet away?" she joked.

Heero gave her a lazy smirk. "Try five hundred," he replied.

"Why don´t you just issue one for yourself for halfway around the world?" Usagi asked sarcastically, finally walking towards Wufei and Duo.

"I´m thinking about it," Heero responded flatly, glaring at the unsuspecting actor.

"Finally!" Wufei was the first to speak once they approached him. "I was starting to think you were preaching to each other about the legality of visitors at work!"

Usagi glanced at Heero, who smirked at her. She tried to hide her laughter. "We were giving you time to become better acquainted with Mr. Maxwell," she replied casually.

Wufei twitched.

"Is there something in your eye, Chang-man?" Duo blurted out, staring curiously at the muscle near the Chinese man´s eye. "You keep doing that."

Wufei turned red, and both Heero and Usagi could swear they saw steam coming from his ears. "Let´s play a game, Maxwell," he stated, glaring at the braided man. "It´s called Hide-and-Seek. I count to ten, and if you´re still in my sight by then, I´m kicking you out of this building via the window."

"But, but this is the fortieth floor!" Duo exclaimed, backing away from the pissed off Chinese.

"Exactly," Wufei deadpanned.

"I believe this is our cue," Usagi interrupted quickly. "Let´s move, Mr. Maxwell. As much as you might enjoy taking a flight out the fortieth story window of Aegis, I´m not looking forward to collecting the pieces of your body from the first floor."

And with that, she dragged him to the elevator around the corner and away from Wufei´s sight, much to the braided man´s relief. The Chinese scared him, a lot.

"I take it you don´t like him either," Heero commented flatly to his longtime friend, his eyes still on the corner that Usagi and Duo had gone around.

Wufei glared at him. "No, he´s my new best friend," he replied equally sarcastically. "What do you think, Yuy? He´s the biggest idiot I´ve met in my life. I can´t believe Ami actually invited him to that ball this past weekend."

"What happened to Trowa?" Heero asked.

"Went back to his office to take care of the organization for renovations," Wufei answered shortly. "Maxwell´s paying. I was told to keep an eye on him so nothing else blows up. That reminds me. What were you and Usagi talking about? And why were you with her in the first place?"

"Because she needed an escort down the hall," Heero responded, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Wufei narrowed his eyes. "She´s not just another woman you can sleep with and toss aside," he stated coldly.

"It´s none of your business," Heero brushed his warning aside, the monotone returning to his voice.

"She´s my wife´s best friend, almost a sister-in-law," Wufei replied, recalling their earlier conversation, which had looked too intimate for his liking, as well as their exchange of looks. "I don´t like what you´re doing to her, whatever it is you´re doing to her."

Heero sent a chilling glare in Wufei´s direction. "I´m doing whatever it is you think I´m doing," he answered evasively. "Watch where you´re treading, Chang. You know I hate people who meddle with my personal life."

He disappeared down the hall, leaving Wufei to ponder what he meant.

***************************************************

End of Chapter 12.

AN: Duo´s line of "by me, you mean I" is courtesy of my brother. I´m still laughing at that line. When he told me, I decided I had to use it. ^^ Okay, once more, please review, and I´ll see where I can squeeze in some time to write the next chapter. At least after I´m done with the Classics ISP.


	13. Chapter 13: Enter History

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: I like apples and oranges. I don´t like celery and asparagus. I own the keyboard I´m typing on. I don´t own Sailormoon and Gundam Wing.

AN: *nervous laugh* Well, I finally sat down and wrote up this chapter. The first part has been sitting around for awhile, but since the university letters started coming in, in addition to the usual busy school months of April and May, I´ve been a little unmotivated. Lots of stuff were happening these two months: Anime North (convention), non-prom night out, various get-togethers and project meetings.

Silver-Star: Usa desperately wants to ditch Duo. LOL. But he wouldn´t give up.

Amanda: O.O I certainly hope not, or you might have died a few times already. XD

sapphireskies: My bro in show biz would be like me and fanfics. XD Inconsistency in timing.

Heart Soul: Love is blind. Or infatuation is blind. Duo´s not necessarily stupid, per say, but he only sees what he wants to see. Concerning Usagi, he wants her to like him, so he ignores what points in the opposite direction.

Tenshi-Hotaru: I like that suggestion. I´ll focus a little more on Makoto next chapter. I just seem to like writing Heero and Usa. ^^;;;

Sarah: I agree. I would have blown up a microwave if my mom hadn´t yelled at me to stop a couple seconds before I hit the "start" button. And I´d like to think I´m relatively intelligent. XD

Damian Morte: Actually, I was hoping to get that image across in the beginning chapters. In the more recent few, I wanted to suggest that there may be more, especially with the scene where Heero _doesn´t_ take advantage of Usa´s drunken state. If he was just using her, he wouldn´t feel so bad about it, right? Then again, maybe I haven´t quite succeeded at what I wanted to do. So I´ll keep trying. ^^

Kawaii Chibi Megami: ROFL. I like the little Wufei and Ami running around. XD

Ice Blue Eyes: You know something? SW was close to coming out before this one. But I changed my mind on the ending halfway through and decided to scrap what I have. XD So I´m back to square one for that.

Angelight: Don´t apologize. If I couldn´t take constructive criticism, I should stop writing. ^^ I can see how Duo may be more sincere. At least he´s taking the _right_ steps in courting Usagi-chan. I would be suspicious of a guy too if he´s kissed me more than once and hasn´t even asked me out. =P Let´s see if I can fix that in the following chapters. Actually, probably not likely until the end.

Celestial Dreamblaze: I have problems writing Heero with anyone but Usa. He´s not even nice to anyone but Usagi. XD Well, except Ami as of this story, but she´s married to Wufei.

Sakura Kinomoto: If you write CCS, I´ll read. ^^ I try with the lines, but I´m slowly running out.

Chibi Koneko: I can´t bring Mamoru and Hotaru back in yet. They have a role later in the fic, and they can´t come back in just yet.

To all those who reviewed and those who emailed me: I´m completely honest when I say this chapter wouldn´t have come out without you. I do read on ff.net. I remember linking from my own author page to my favourite stories, and thinking "oh no, not another review". XD The reason? The more reviews I get, the guiltier I feel for not writing. And that makes me sit down and write, no matter how unmotivated I may otherwise have been. You can probably tell in this chapter that I wasn´t at my best, but I couldn´t hold off any longer on not writing, because I felt bad for making you wait, and you let me know that you´re waiting. So a hearty thank you to you all. ^^ You made this update happen.

Warnings: OOC-ness galore. AU. If you´re expecting humour, it´s not here. And there´s a classical reference in here. The Oracle, or Apollo´s Oracle, was a priestess who could foretell the future. And Apollo´s temple was located in a Greek city called Delphi. The Oracle always gave answers in funny riddles.

On with the fic.

*****************************************************

Chapter 13 – Enter History

*****************************************************

"Do you want to go shopping, Usagi?" Duo asked brightly, looking across the table at her hopefully.

Usagi sighed internally. This wasn´t working. She had been civil enough all through the meal, but that didn´t mean the biting replies stopped. She had also tried to start a conversation with the man sitting across from her about electronics. Of course, that had died out before five minutes had passed, considering Duo´s knowledge, or lack thereof, about said topic.

"I do have to work, Mr. Maxwell," Usagi replied.

"Your lunch break isn´t over for another twenty minutes, right?" Duo said. "We could just look around on the streets a little."

"Yes, the pushy crowds, honking cars, polluted air all come together to make a wonderful shopping trip," Usagi muttered, rolling her eyes.

Yet, Duo was not discouraged by her lack of enthusiasm. "Hey!" he suddenly exclaimed. "You know, the other day, Sally Po came onto the set!"

Usagi stared at him blankly. "Is that supposed to be monumental?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Come on! It´s Sally Po!" Duo continued excitedly.

"Who´s that?" Usagi replied with a frown. "I don´t think she acts. I´ve never heard of her before."

Duo blinked. "She´s a rising-star among set designers," he explained, his enthusiasm dying down. "She´s incredibly talented and detailed in her work."

"Oh," Usagi responded, obviously uninterested. "She sounds wonderful."

A long pause followed when neither knew what to say. Duo stared at the beautiful woman sitting across the table from him. This wasn´t what he had pictured as the perfect date. While her attitude remained the same as what he had envisioned, and gotten to know over the week, for some reason, he had always imagined that she would eventually laugh and chat with him, finally having gotten what they call "beyond the surface". He knew he wasn´t the most intelligent person on earth, but that never stopped conversations he had with, say, Minako.

When the bill came, Usagi automatically snatched it up, checked the number, and paid in cash, all in one fluid motion, leaving Duo somewhat dumbfounded.

"You don´t have to pay for me," he suddenly spoke up, watching the waiter take the bill and the money away. "I mean, it´s traditional for the guy to pay on the first date, right?"

Usagi gave him a sideways glance, smiling a little. She had to give him points for trying to be a gentleman. "Tradition is the first step towards boredom," she replied, a little amusement in her voice. "I´ve never been one for tradition. Otherwise, I´d be spinning wool in my bedroom right now."

"But still. . . ." his voice trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

"Don´t worry about it, Mr. Maxwell," Usagi said flippantly. "It wasn´t a date anyway. It was payment for our deal."

"Oh," was Duo´s response. He looked down at the table cloth, disappointed. He had hoped she would change her mind after she got to know him. Apparently, he was wrong.

Usagi obviously noticed his change in moods, and she suddenly felt guilty for using such a harsh ploy. "Listen. . .Duo," she hesitated, not knowing whether it would give him the wrong idea by using his first name. When his head snapped up, his eyes gleaming at her, she hurried on, "I don´t think we´re right for each other. I mean, I think we´d be good friends, just not a good couple."

Duo´s indigo eyes reflected the hurt he felt, and internally, Usagi winced. She hadn´t really wanted to hurt him, just make him realize that her sister was good for him. "Why not?" he asked, appearing like a child who had just been denied his toy.

Usagi sighed. "Because I know the woman who´s perfect for you," she answered evasively, "and it´s not me." 

"Then who is it?" he questioned again, looking curiously at her.

Usagi´s lips twitched. She felt like a fortune-teller. "I can´t tell you that. It´s something you have to find out on your own," she decided. "As for why you and I just aren´t meant to be, well, let´s just reflect on how this lunch date went."

She stood up, ready to leave for the office when Duo let out a loud and frustrated sigh.

"Can´t you just give me a straight answer?" he muttered.

This sent Usagi into helpless laughter. She grinned at the actor and winked. "Just call me the Oracle at Delphi," she joked. "Besides, the path of true love never did run smooth."

With a jaunty wave, she rushed out the door, knowing that she was probably going to be late again. Duo watched her leave, sadly for a moment, before a small smile started to break out on his face. Maybe there was someone else for him out there. He never understood what Usagi said half the time, like that oracle thing, which he sensed was supposed to be some sort of joke. Shaking his head, he stood up and grabbed his jacket to leave.

Neither of them had noticed a man sitting in the corner of the restaurant with thick glasses covering his eyes and a digital camera pointed in their direction the whole time they were there.

~*~*~*~*~

"Yes, that´s good," the blonde haired woman said smugly into her cell phone. "Keep it up, and I hope you´re looking into more than just her current actions."

She glanced out the tinted windows of her pink limousine as it travelled down the streets of busy Tokyo, taking her to her next photo shoot, one for an international magazine. The man´s report continued and she nodded to herself as she listened.

"Alright. I want a full report at my house by tomorrow," she decided.

Then, without bothering to say goodbye, she flipped the cell phone shut and tossed it into her purse. The child was going to learn the consequences of messing with her.

~*~*~*~*~

"Miss Hino?" a knock on her door followed by her boss´s voice startled her out of her reverie.

Guiltily, Rei stared at the piles of papers she should already have typed up. But of course, she had been thinking about Mr. Barton. Since their little get-together, she found that he was agreeable sometimes, and despite her hatred for his best friend, he wasn´t like the infamous Mr. Yuy. They had even shared some of their stories about Usagi, and as Rei had predicted, the young woman wasn´t having any problems at work.

"Yes, Mr. Winner," Rei replied, and Quatre walked into her office. "I´m sorry," she began quickly, "the papers aren´t done yet."

If Quatre was surprised at her sudden inefficiency, he didn´t show it. Instead, he gave her a warm smile and a small laugh. "That´s alright, I don´t need them yet," he assured her. "They just have to be done before tomorrow at nine."

Rei visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "I´ll have them done by then," she promised.

Quatre nodded. "There´s something I need to talk to you about," he stated.

"Go ahead," Rei smiled, taking a sip of her now-cold coffee. She had to pay attention from now till well into the night. She had no intention of disappointed Mr. Winner. If she needed to stay up all night to finish her work, she would.

Quatre helped himself to one of the chairs by the desk. "As you know, Miss Relena Peacecraft has been hitting the international market lately," he began.

Rei nodded, hiding her personal distaste for the woman. Even she had to admit that Relena was good at her job.

"A gentleman in England is interested in signing a contract with her and us, so I´m going to attend a meeting in London," Quatre explained. "The plane tickets are for the day after tomorrow. Originally, I had thought about taking Makoto with me, but she just started her chain of restaurants here, so it would be inconvenient for her to leave now. It would be very helpful to me if you could come. I can provide you with a laptop computer to take notes and work on anything you need to do. All you have to do while you´re there is attend the meetings during the day, take down what´s important, and maybe type an official copy of the contract, depending on whether the gentleman´s own secretary will be doing that. You may sightsee and do whatever else in the evening."

Rei stared at him, her heart filled with a bittersweet happiness. On one hand, he wanted her to go with him, even if it was only because she was his secretary. The mere fact that he wanted her company over an older friend who was equally good at secretarial work pleased her. On the other hand, she was still second choice. He was asking her because Makoto had refused to go.

"It would only be a week," Quatre continued hopefully, seeing the unsure emotions across her face. "And Hilde will come as well."

"You need two people to take notes?" Rei asked, clearly surprised.

Quatre smiled sheepishly. "No," he admitted. "I just thought it would be nice for you to have some company other than Miss Peacecraft."

Rei laughed softly, the musical sound filling the room. If nothing else, she had to give in to her boss´s thoughtfulness. "Seeing as you´ve already gone to all these lengths," she teased good-naturedly, "I think I´ll have to agree."

Quatre´s face brightened like a child´s in a candy store. "That would be absolutely wonderful!" he exclaimed.

He stood up and shook Rei´s hand with great enthusiasm. "I have to get back to work, but I´ll give you all the details once we get off," he told her.

"Sure," Rei grinned. "I think I need to get back to work more than you do though."

Quatre glanced at the pile of unfinished documents sitting on her desk, and gave her a questioning look, clearly confused as to why it had taken her so long to do so little. Rei shook her head wryly and gave him a look, telling him not to ask.

He took the hint and left her alone with her thoughts. Closing the door to her office, Quatre leaned heavily against it, wondering why he had decided to ask her, and to lie that Makoto had said it would be inconvenient. He hadn´t even bothered to ask Makoto whether she wanted to go.

~*~*~*~*~

Minako gingerly massaged her temples, staring at what looked like an ancient and messed-up foreign language. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn´t understand the electric mumbo-jumbo the magazine took great detail to talk about.

Sighing, she stood up to get herself a cup of the coffee that Rei always kept on hand in their apartment. Her adrenaline was wearing off. The thing she wanted to do most right now was go to bed, but she couldn´t afford to take a nap.

She took a sip of the coffee and made a face. How could Rei drink that bitter, black stuff everyday? She opened the sugar bowl and helped herself to a generous amount of sugar, then opened the fridge for some cream.

Minako glanced at the clock. Its red, digital numbers blinked back at her, reading one-thirty-three. She had an interview to do with a magazine at two-thirty, which gave her another half an hour to reread that article on elect-something before she needed to head off. She wanted to impress Duo the next time she saw him. She stared at the large amount of text staring back at her. Who cared about little particles with negative charges?

Well, apparently, someone does, she reasoned, otherwise, they wouldn´t have magazines on this stuff. Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she decided she could raid her sister´s collection of books. Just the thought of it made her want to run into the bathroom and puke. Reading Usagi´s books on electronics was about as interesting as watching paint peel off the wall.

The phone rang, and tiredly, Minako picked it up. "Hello," she greeted in an unusually unenthusiastic voice. "Aino and Hino residence. This is Minako."

"Hey, Minako!" the familiar voice greeted her back. "Are you okay? You sound sick."

"Oh, of course not!" Minako chirped falsely. "Why would I be sick, Duo?"

"I don´t know," he replied sheepishly. "You just don´t sound too well."

"I´m just fine. How´d lunch with Usagi go?" she winced as soon as she asked the question. Did she really want to know? No. She didn´t want to hear how well her plans worked and how her sister was now madly in love with the same person she liked.

"It was alright. She´s very untraditional," Duo mused. "We chatted a bit. I thought it was funny that she didn´t know who Sally Po was."

Minako smiled. At least Duo didn´t find out that Usagi probably knew less about make-up than he did. "She´s not very well-known outside of the entertainment industry," she pointed out.

"I guess not," he replied. "Still, I think Usagi and I could be good friends."

Minako´s heart sank. Sure, he didn´t say they were officially dating now, but the fact that they could be friends meant they got along. If Usagi got along with Duo and was attracting his attention, that meant she must be doing something right, something Minako wasn´t doing right. "That´s good," she managed to choke out. "I have to go, Duo. Interview. I´ll talk to you later. Bye!"

She hung up the phone before he even had a chance to say goodbye, leaving Duo a bit bewildered. Minako was acting strangely, not a bit like her usual perky self.

He sighed as he hung up the phone. He had wanted to ask Minako out for dinner, to thank her for all she did, and at least tell her that him and Usagi didn´t work out, and wouldn´t work out. She mentioned an interview. Maybe he´ll call up Mr. Winner and find out where that was, then he could drop by and take her to dinner after work. Yea, that sounded like a good plan. Smiling and whistling, he headed back to the movie set, ready to get back to work.

~*~*~*~*~

"Interesting to see you in the department again for the second time today," Trowa mused in amusement, watching his best friend and boss stroll into the research department.

It was well after work hours, and he was just about to close the doors.

"Nice to see you too," Heero muttered, a bit irritated.

He was still irked at the near-lecture he had gotten from Wufei earlier in the day, and the last thing he needed right now was Trowa on his back too. Whatever happened to privacy?

Trowa picked up his briefcase, ignoring Heero´s sour attitude. "I assume you´ll close up then," he commented nonchalantly. "By the way, she´s still in there."

That earned him a chilling glare. "What makes you think I´m here for the person you´re talking about?" he bit out.

"What else would you be here for, the dust that´s building up in our rooms?" Trowa asked, raising his eyebrow.

"You know, she can replace you," Heero replied.

"I know," Trowa responded easily. "But is she willing to?" He shrugged. "I´ll see you."

He headed out the door, his placid attitude towards the prospect of being fired irritating Heero more than if the man had tossed a sarcastic comment in his direction the way he normally did when the subject was brought up.

Briefly, he wondered why he was here. He didn´t have any claim over her, and he didn´t care enough, right? It wasn´t like he loved her or anything. Rolling his eyes at the series of illogical thoughts that followed, he silently pushed the door to the lab open.

Sure enough, she was still sitting in her chair, typing away at something. To his amusement, the lights were all turned off except for the three near her desk. No doubt she was trying to reduce the cost of the electricity fee, not knowing that he really couldn´t care less for those few hundred dollars.

Quietly, he approached her, admiring the way her lithe body moved each time she leaned forward to type a little more. Her hair swayed gracefully down her back. Shorter pieces fell around her face, and irritated, she brushed them back and out of her face, making him smile.

"So little light is bad for your eyes," he spoke up quietly, making her jump and stifle her scream.

She whirled around and stared at him, obviously surprised, Then her look turned murderous. "Don´t scare me like that!" she scowled. She turned back to her screen.

Heero smirked to himself and walked up to her, watching her work. She was sitting on a tall stool, making it convenient for him to slip his arms around her slender waist. She stiffened in his hold and paused her work. "Tell me, then, chibi-chan," he whispered by her ear, "how should I let you know of my presence next time?"

"Knocking on the door first is an interestingly new idea to you, isn´t it?" Usagi replied dryly, leaning back tiredly against him.

Heero looked down at her, loving and hating her impertinent nature at the same time. He loved it because it was refreshing, but it irked him that she defied him all the time. Without a word, he reached up and saved her work, then turned off her computer against her protests.

"Take a break," he practically ordered. "You´re ahead of schedule, and I meant what I said. It´s bad for your eyes to have so little light."

Usagi laughed softly. "Last time, you were mad because I had all the lights on. This time, I turned off most of the light to save your electric bill, and I still get yelled at," she teased him. "There´s just no pleasing you, is there?"

"I can think of something very pleasant right now," he disagreed.

Usagi shifted uncomfortably in his arms, and she quickly wiggled out of his grasp. Leaping up, she gave him a nervous smile. "Seeing that you´ve commanded me to stop my work, I should head home," she stated.

Heero took a gentle hold of her wrist and spun her around to face him. "Have dinner with me, chibi-chan," he murmured, looking in her liquid blue eyes.

It was a gentle invitation, one that Usagi was having trouble resisting, despite her common sense knowing that it was a very, very bad idea. His eyes held her captive, as though she would never be able to move unless she agreed.

"I. . .uh," Usagi managed to sputter out.

Seeing her hesitation, he gently cupped her chin between his thumb and index fingers. "Say you will," he prompted her.

Gently, he bent his head to kiss her. Once their lips touched, Usagi collapsed into his arms, her body voluntarily seeking his for comfort and security. He pulled away quickly, knowing that his own body was reacting to her nearness. If they stayed that way any longer, he wasn´t going to be able to control his own actions.

"I think," he stated flatly, "that you are in need of a lot of rest. And some food."

Usagi sighed, holding onto his arm for support. Whether her legs gave out because of her own tiredness or because of his kiss was a mystery to her. Maybe it was a little of both. "And I think," she retorted, "that you are not very gifted at convincing people the verbal way."

"I rather enjoy my non-verbal method," Heero stated, turning out two of the three lights. "We´re having dinner."

"Thanks so much for _asking_," Usagi replied, obviously irritated. She pulled out of his arms and picked up her purse and coat. "You know what? How about this? I´ll have dinner with you if you cook it."

Heero blinked. Then, catching the dancing gleam in her vivid eyes, he realized that she was trying to get out of her current predicament, so to speak. "You doubt my culinary skills," he stated rather flatly, a little offended.

"Obviously," Usagi replied, smiling cheekily. "Well?"

Heero wondered to himself why he was getting ready to agree. If it had been anyone else, even Trowa or Wufei, he would have tossed them out of the building, literally, and say "to hell with dinner". But he couldn´t seem to do that to his chibi-chan. Either he was sick, or he was getting soft.

"Fine," he decided. "Come on." He led her out the door to the elevator.

As they waited, Usagi spoke up, "Should I run to the pharmacy and get some painkillers?"

"You´ll regret saying that," he warned her as they stepped into the elevator.

Much to her surprise, he slid a card through one of the slots in the elevator panel and hit the button for the top floor instead of the lobby. "Did you leave something behind?" she asked.

"Yes, my apartment," Heero answered dryly.

Usagi blinked. "Wait, let´s backtrack," she said carefully. "You live in this building?"

Just then, the elevator door opened to reveal an elegantly carpeted hallway with cream-coloured walls and little crystal lamps on the fine oak tables spread down the short corridor.

"This is the top floor?" Usagi questioned. "I always thought you worked on the top floor."

Heero smirked. "You thought wrong," he informed her. "This floor´s only accessible with a key card though, so not many people know about it."

He led her down the hall to a single room at the end, and using the electronic key card to open the door, he showed her inside and turned on the lights.

The sight of his living quarters took Usagi´s breath away. The whole foyer and living room had next to no walls. Instead, where it was possible, the walls were replaced by floor-length glass panels, providing a perfect, unobstructed view of the Tokyo skyline at night. The stylish furniture, the expensive art pieces around the room, and the overall architecture of the apartment just screamed wealth and sophistication.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Heero said, taking great amusement in her reaction to his home. It pleased him to know that she was impressed.

"Humble?" Usagi echoed, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Then I should probably inform you that the rest of us _normal_ people live in the slums of Tokyo."

The sarcasm in her voice wasn´t lost on Heero, and he smirked at the comment. "Trowa and Wufei have nicknamed this 'the Bachelor Pad´," he continued, closing the door and taking her coat from her.

"I´ll say," Usagi agreed, looking around. The subtle shade of gray used seem to hide the true power of the whole place, the way the owner of the apartment hid his aura of power in his large frame. She wrinkled her nose. "This whole place is so. . .masculine."

Heero laughed. "I would hope so," he murmured. "Did I disappoint you?"

"Very," Usagi teased. "I was expecting something pink and frilly."

He shook his head and headed for the kitchen, leaving Usagi to look around his living room. Curiously, she approached the large bookcase standing against the opposite wall. Other than the large amount of computer books he had, there were also a few pictures in simple, silver frames.

The first one she picked up was of two men. Both had the same dark brown hair, but while the younger one had those Prussian blue eyes she had grown familiar with, the older one had amber brown ones that seemed to glow.

_This must be his father,_ Usagi thought to herself. Briefly, she wondered where the man was now. He didn´t look that old in the picture. Heero looked about twenty-five or so, and the other man looked like he was in his mid-forties. Technically speaking, he should still be alive. Then again, accidents happened.

Putting the picture down, she picked up the next one, which showed Heero, Trowa, and Wufei in their formal attire, probably for some sort of special event. Curiously, she checked the corner for a date. It was taken the year before in mid-April.

"That was Wufei´s wedding," Heero´s voice supplied from the doorway, startling Usagi.

She sighed and set the picture down. "Must you always do that?" she asked.

"I will not resort to knocking in my own home," Heero replied flatly.

Usagi laughed softly. "You´re close to Wufei and Mr. Barton?" she stated rather than questioned.

"Best of friends for as long as I can remember," Heero answered, walking up to where she stood. He fought down the irritation he felt when he heard her call Wufei by his first name again. Instead, he decided to elaborate. "My father was friends with their fathers."

"Where are they now?" Usagi inquired softly, looking up at him. "Your fathers, I mean."

"Dead," Heero answered simply, making Usagi gasp. Quickly, he put his finger to her lips, shushing her next words. "If you´re going to tell me you´re sorry, save your breath," he warned her. "I don´t want pity."

Usagi smiled, then reached up to take his hands away from her face. "What are you going to do about it if I do tell you I´m sorry," she teased.

His eyes fell to her lush lips, and then to the graceful curve of her neck, exposed because she had left the top button of her blouse unbuttoned. "If you want to know, why don´t you try?" he murmured huskily, watching realization shine through in her bright sapphire eyes.

She dropped her hands and turned away. "Maybe not," she muttered, knowing that what he had in mind wasn´t going to be pleasant. _Or it might be a little too pleasant,_ her mind supplied. "I just thought it was a shame he died so young," she amended. "And Mr. Barton and Wufei´s father are dead too?"

"Fitting, isn´t it?" he drawled sardonically. "Three best friends died together on a plane crash on their way home from a business trip. Exactly the way it would be out of a movie."

Usagi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She sensed that he didn´t like his father very much, even if he respected the man. Deciding not to provoke him, especially since they were alone in his apartment together, she took a look at the last picture on the shelf. She recognized the man as Heero. Next to him was a beautiful woman with mysterious aquamarine eyes that seemed to mock the camera. Her wavy auburn hair fell gracefully around her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Both of them were smiling politely, as though they were hiding their sorrows from the photographer.

"Don´t tell me that´s your mother," Usagi joked, pointing to the woman in the picture. "She´s so young."

Instead of replying with some amused comment to her own age as she expected he would, Heero stiffened and his face went completely stony. "It´s not," he stated in monotone.

Usagi blinked. "Mr. Yuy?" she prompted. Was it the subject of his mother that caused the sudden change of mood? Or did it have something to do with the woman in the picture?

"She was my fiancée."

*************************************************

End of Chapter 13.

AN: I think I need to work on this story´s subplot. (Rei, Quatre, Trowa, Makoto) While their story is moving, it´s supposed to be parallel to the main plot. (Heero, Usagi, Minako, Duo) And it´s actually moving much slower and with less detail. Maybe next chapter, I´ll focus on the subplot and leave the main plot. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that, even if it´s only a little. Please review and tell me what you thought. Interesting? Want more? Boring? Hope I would rot in hell? Leave your thoughts! XD


	14. Chapter 14: Lose Myself

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: I make 7 bucks an hour. That doesn´t sound like the salary of the owner of either Gundam Wing or Sailormoon. 

AN: I´m tempted to say nothing, because if I start the chapter without saying a word, then you can´t yell at me. Not yet, anyway. But I should probably provide a reason why I haven´t updated in 2 months. I got a summer job, a full-time one, so I´m even busier than when I´m in school. =\ When I get home, the second last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer. (And if anyone is interested in the _very_ last thing I want to do, it´s photocopying.) Secondly, university is starting in less than a month. Wow, the summer is flying by. And I didn´t realize how much stuff I´m going to need to bring into res. I still have a huge shopping list. Despite all this, I realize than one chapter in two months is _definitely not_ too much to ask on your part, so I sat down and wrote this. It would have been out earlier if I didn´t get stuck at one point in this first scene. I _did_ end up figuring out why it didn´t flow as well as I wanted, and I think it´s better now. I had planned to edit the chapter a bit more, but I figured I´d put you out of your misery instead. ^^;;;

frosty: You got your wish. This chapter, and very likely, the next one as well, will focus on the main plot.

O Genki Kitsune: EH?! Naru´s Heero´s housekeeper. . . . O.o

Lost*Faith: They´re supposed to be boy/girlfriend, at least for now.

Damia – Queen of the Gypsi´s: 1. I got that covered in this chapter. ^^ 2. *hums innocently* 3. No, that´s too cliché. 4. What? I don´t get it. 5. With peas. 6. With corn. 7. Gah? Dolphins, I think. 8. Maybe. 9. Maybe. 10. Bwahahaha, that´s funny!. XD

RubiiTsuki: I completely applaud you. ^^ You´re the only reviewer who guessed Heero´s fiancée correctly. I thought about rewarding you by giving you the chapter a day ahead of time, but you didn´t leave your email, and everyone else would kill me.

SilverBladeSilencer: Good question. I don´t know why I added it. Maybe my subconscious will provide a reason later.

Serenity Silvermoon: Hahahaha, man, I wish I´d read your comment earlier. Maybe the chapter would have been different. XD 

Cilla: Thanks. It´s nice to know I won´t be sent to hell till after the final chapter. Maybe that´ll give me incentive not to post the last chapter, ever. XD j/k

Minna-chan: I really wish I had read your comments carefully before running off to write this chapter, because it could have been better. It´s a little, uh, different, from my usual works. Then again, this whole story has been different for me. Thanks so much for your continuous support and reviews. This is probably really redundant for you by now, but you made this whole story happen. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Warnings: OOC-ness galore, as usual. Relena-bashing, **PG-13**, and bad writing. Read at your own risk.

*********************************************

Chapter 14 – Lose Myself

*********************************************

The shock that went through her system did not hurt as much as the sudden stab of pain she felt in her chest. But why would she feel that way? She did not know, and did not want him to know what she felt. Instead, she attributed the feeling to the guilt she felt for asking such a personal, and obviously unpleasant, question, and looked away from him.

She found herself staring at the woman in the picture, and after a few moments of silence, finally concluded aloud, "She´s very beautiful."

"She is," Heero agreed, plucking the picture out of her hands, which were starting to clench around the silver frame. "The picture frame is not alive, chibi-chan. You can´t kill it," he added, a bit of his earlier amusement lacing through his voice.

Usagi blushed and dropped her hands, watching as he replaced the frame on his bookshelf. "When´s the wedding?" she asked softly.

Heero glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "What wedding?"

"You said that´s your fiancé," Usagi spoke, feeling her own voice rising. Why was she so angry? "So when´s the wedding?"

Heero studied her sudden change of mood in silence, noting her flushed cheeks and flashing eyes. "There won´t be a wedding," he answered. "I said she _was_ my fiancée."

Usagi blinked, startled by her own misunderstanding. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "What happened?"

"Aren´t we a little nosy?" Heero replied. And though his tone of voice was a cross between mockery and amusement, Usagi could hear the underlying irritation, hidden beneath the words.

She shook her head and decided that it was best to change the subject. "Shall we eat instead? I´m hungry now that I smell the food," she turned to him, and could tell when he rewarded her with a slight smirk, that he was relaxed again.

"Are you sure you don´t need the painkillers?" he teased her.

"I thought you said I wouldn´t need them," Usagi responded good-naturedly, pushing down the uncomfortable feeling of knowing there was another woman in his life, even if it was in the past. "Are you telling me you lied to me?"

Heero put an arm around her shoulder and led her into the spacious kitchen. "I would lie to everyone except you," he answered, unexpectedly and suddenly kissing her temple softly, sending shivers down Usagi´s spine.

Dinner was set out on the fancy marble table that sat regally in the kitchen. Silverware that literally sparkled sat next to the porcelain dishes and cups. Usagi could smell the fettuccini Alfredo mixed in with the scent of champagne in the air. All of a sudden, she felt uncomfortable. The setup was just a little _too_ romantic.

"All you´re missing," she joked once Heero had seated her and himself, "are candles and some roses."

Heero turned amused eyes to her, and mused, "Shall I call the electric company and ask them to cut off my electricity?"

"And how is that supposed to help?" Usagi replied, her eyes twinkling at him from across the table, momentarily forgetting about the mysterious ex-fiancée.

"Then I have an excuse to bring out the candles," Heero shrugged. "While I´m at it, I should probably ask the florist to make a 'wrong´ delivery to me."

Usagi started to laugh. "I´ll bet you receive more flowers in a year than some girls do in their lifetime," she teased him.

"I´m thoroughly offended, chibi-chan," Heero responded, watching the personification of joy in front of him. "I would think you have more confidence in me. I think I receive more flowers in a month than most girls do in their lifetime."

That only made Usagi laugh harder. "That´s horribly conceited, Heero!" she accused him.

Suddenly, she stopped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "I. . .I´m sorry, Mr. Yuy," she amended. "I didn´t-"

He cut her off. "I liked it much better the other way," he replied quietly.

"I couldn´t possibly call you by your first name," Usagi argued, flustered at the sudden intimacy. "It would be so. . .inappropriate."

"I don´t think I´ve ever been appropriate in this lifetime," Heero responded dryly.

Quite suddenly, she felt angry, because his nonchalant response reminded her that he had probably been this intimate with many others before her.

"Just because you´re not doesn´t mean I shouldn´t be either," Usagi almost snapped back. When he raised an eyebrow at her tone, she simply sampled her dinner, refusing to be provoked any further. The food was good, better than anything she could make, she grudgingly admitted to herself.

She stabbed at her dinner, making the silverware clank loudly. She didn´t understand her sudden feelings of contempt. It wasn´t as though she didn´t know he had other women out there, and it wasn´t as though he was hers, or she his for that matter. Was it really just because he had lots of women before, and may still do? Or was it just because this one woman had been close enough to him to get him to propose? Or because she couldn´t bear the thought of him teasing and smiling at another woman the way he did to her? But why should she care?

The questions flooding through her mind only made her attack her dinner more viciously, and never did she notice him trying to hide the laughter that danced in his usually indifferent eyes.

"I suppose you wouldn´t be needing the painkillers after all," Heero mused, watching her eat with an unexplainable joy. Never in his life had he found such contentment in something so simple. And seldom in his life had he met a woman who actually liked to eat. Of all the times he had ever gone out to dinner with a woman, he could count on one hand the number of them who had ordered something other than a salad, or fruits. It was annoying to watch women who he could probably snap in two worry about their nonexistent fat.

She didn´t reply, something which he found quite uncharacteristic, but he didn´t comment. He knew quite well what was bothering her, and he also knew how to fix it. Letting her have what she wanted, at least for now, they dined in silence, and he continued to watch her, the childish way she stabbed her food, as though she could take out her anger on inanimate objects, the way her hair swayed gently every time she moved, the way her eyes were flashing angrily.

Deciding he would rather see her smile than the expression she was wearing now, he began speaking quite suddenly. "Her name is Michiru Kaiou. She´s a famous violinist."

Usagi´s eyes snapped up to his, a cross between curiosity and anger. She did not need to hear how much he loved this perfect woman. She had heard of Michiru Kaiou. The woman was the epitome of feminine perfection: beautiful, graceful, artistic, gentle.

"You don´t have to tell me," she replied, her hands gripping her fork.

"No, I don´t," Heero agreed, his eyes focusing on the fork. "But you want to know."

"Says who?" Usagi snapped, glaring at him.

"Not who," Heero answered flatly. "What. And the answer is that fork in your hand that´s about to become either a deformed piece of silver, or a dart aimed at my head."

"I like choice number two," Usagi muttered.

"I thought you would," Heero responded. "So to prevent my death at the age of thirty-two, do you think you could put that down long enough to hear a bedtime story?"

"I preferred lullabies as a child," Usagi quipped, but laid the fork down and allowed him to start all the same.

Feeling uncharacteristically nostalgic, Heero sat back in the chair and began. "Michiru was from a family as rich as mine, and hence, our families were together a lot. She was a couple years younger than me, but nonetheless, she was my best friend as we were growing up. What made that friendship even more solid was the fact that we were both the black sheep in our families. She wanted to do something artistic for a living, see the world. Her family held the traditional belief that she should marry into a stable family, and act as mistress of the house. I wanted to be an airplane pilot, but my father wanted me to take over the company. They thought we were the perfect couple, and waited for us to get engaged."

"And you did," Usagi interrupted. "And they were right, you are the perfect couple. Just look at the picture. Anyone would think so."

"Then they must be blind," Heero replied in an icy voice, making Usagi stare at him. "I know you can see the misery in her eyes."

"I. . . ." her voice trailed off. She knew he was right. The couple in the picture had been standing so close together, yet they were so coldly apart. "I can see it," she admitted softly.

"Then why do you say we are perfect?" Heero persisted.

Usagi flushed. "Well, one of you must have agreed. You got engaged, didn´t you?" she argued.

Heero grunted. "My father engaged me to her when Aegis´s stocks plummeted with the economy some ten years ago. He thought it would ensure our financial security. And since her parents were tired of waiting, they agreed."

"They forced you to get engaged?" Usagi asked incredulously.

Heero raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. "I prefer the term 'arranged marriage´, but you could put it that way," he replied. 

Usagi studied the stone-faced man sitting across from her, and suddenly dared to ask. "Did you love her?" she whispered.

"Love her?" Heero snorted. "How can you possibly love someone if love doesn´t exist?"

Usagi frowned. "What do you mean, love doesn´t exist?" she asked.

Heero shrugged and looked pointedly into her confused eyes. "I mean exactly that. Love is nothing but the opposite of hatred. There is no such thing as 'happily ever after´," he replied.

"That is very cynical of you," Usagi commented, shaking her head.

"Thank you," Heero smirked. "I would have been disappointed if you believed otherwise."

"I suppose that means you didn´t love Miss Kaiou," Usagi muttered, more to herself than to him. "What happened afterwards?" she prompted, suddenly compelled to know the end of the his story.

Heero shrugged. "My father died, her parents wanted her to get married, neither of us wanted that, so I helped her escape," he summed up. 

"Helped her escape?" Usagi echoed. "You make it sound like a prison."

"It was close enough," Heero replied. "I gave her some money and she was on a plane to England before her parents even knew she had left. I haven´t seen her since."

"Is that why you don´t believe in 'happily ever after´?" Usagi suddenly wondered. "Because your own story ended on such a note?"

Heero fell silent, staring soundlessly at her from across the table. "No," he answered almost darkly. "I just don´t believe in happy endings, to any story."

"Someone´s really lacking in a childhood," Usagi teased, wanting to lighten the melancholy mood that Heero´s statement had just installed. "What about Cinderella? Snow White? Beauty and the Beast? The Little Mermaid?"

Heero gave her a small smile, and returned in the same tone that she had used, "Someone´s watched too many Disney movies. The Beast is supposed to die, and Ariel should have turned into sea foam for 500 years. As for Snow White and Cinderella, how do you know they weren´t miserable for the rest of their lives?"

Usagi sighed. "So you don´t believe in happy endings. Do you believe in love?" she asked, looking curiously at him. This was possibly the most civilized conversation she´s ever had with the man sitting across from her. And ironically, it had sprung from the discussion of his ex-fiancée. If she wasn´t so afraid of ruining the chance of getting to know the intriguing man who had made her feel all kinds of things since their first meeting, she would have commented on it.

"Do you?" Heero asked instead of answering, sitting back and watching her, something that was slowly becoming a hobby.

"I. . .think I do," Usagi answered softly. "My parents are in love with each other, and they´ve been together for close to thirty years."

"What is love?" Heero questioned philosophically, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

His chibi-chan pursed her lips in thoughtful silence, tapping her chin as she considered the best answer. "A feeling," she decided finally, looking back at him. "A feeling of wanting to be with a certain person all the time."

Her voice faded as their eyes held each other across the table. It was as though a silent understanding was passing between them, a mutual acceptance of each other. Heero noticed this, and stood up with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Do you love me?" he asked, a slow smirk making its way onto his face.

Usagi almost choked on her own breath. "What?!" she exclaimed. "You are the most conceited man I have ever met in my life!"

Heero laughed at her remark. "I´m sorry to say, chibi-chan, that you´re not the most conceited woman I´ve met in mine," he replied, amused.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "How utterly disappointing," she answered with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

A short silence followed before Heero decided to pursue his earlier question. "Do you?" he prompted.

"Do I what?" Usagi asked back, looking up at him in feigned innocence.

"Suit yourself," Heero replied, shrugging. "I´m not afraid to repeat what I said."

"I. . ." Usagi paused, the words refusing to come out. Maybe it was because the way his eyes held hers captive at the moment. Maybe it was because of the past couple of hours. Or maybe because she just couldn´t lie to him, or to herself. She was beginning to understand just why she felt differently around him. It was comforting, but scary at the same time. She was well-aware that she had known this intriguing man for a week, and there were still many things she didn´t know about him. When all her friends were dating in high school, she couldn´t find a single boy that she liked to take her out for pizza, yet when she was completely sure she wanted nothing to do with men, she was literally falling into the arms of one. Did Cupid just have a twisted sense of humour? She was starting to think so.

Was it even possible to fall in love in the amount of time she had known Heero Yuy? Sitting in his elegant kitchen, with his Prussian blue eyes looking down at her with an almost tender spark, a lazy half-smile playing on his lips as he waited for her answer, she was willing to believe so. She was willing to lose herself in his comforting presence, if only for a little while.

"I. . .I love you," Usagi whispered, her words almost inaudible, even in the silence of the apartment. "I don´t know if I trust you."

Heero´s expression suddenly darkened. That wasn´t the answer he had expected. Was she naïve enough to believe in love? Yes, he knew she was. But people who believed in love always realize the reality of it too late. In the end, all that remained was the pain the fleeting moment of happiness caused. Love wasn´t happy and mushy and warm. He had witnessed the consequences of it, and he didn´t want his chibi-chan to be subjected to such pain.

"Maybe you shouldn´t do either," he said finally, his voice grave.

Usagi stared, shocked at his reply. She had just confessed her newfound feelings for him, and he was brushing them off casually, almost purposefully. She stood up as well, hurt. "Maybe I should be the one to decide that," she retorted, spinning on her heels with every intention to leave that very minute.

His arm reached out and grabbed hers, gently but firmly spinning her around. She opened her mouth to give him a scathing remark, but his lips suddenly found hers, taking her breath away. He was kissing her with a violent tenderness, his tongue caressing the interior of her mouth, and his arms held her tightly to him. Every curve in her body seemed to fit itself to his hard contours, and her head swam in gentle ecstasy at the feelings he was provoking in her.

He pulled slightly away from her, his breath mingling with hers. "Leave, chibi-chan," he murmured. "Now, before I refuse to let you go."

Despite his words, his arms remained tightly wound around her waist and back. She looked up at him with scared eyes, but she wasn´t scared of him. She was afraid of her overpowering feelings. A slow fire was building within her, and more than anything, she wanted to stay with him.

"I´m not drunk this time," she whispered, succumbing to the impulse of brushing his hair out of his eyes.

With a muffled groan, he gathered her more tightly into his embrace and buried his lips in hers again. Usagi melted into his arms, kissing him back in the same way he was kissing her, and had kissed her all those times before. Her fingers busied themselves with his hair, and she could feel the heat of his hands pressing on her back.

Heero pressed her body closer to his, and Usagi was suddenly aware of the evidence of his desire pressing intimately against her thigh. Shaken, she pulled away and stared wide-eyed at him. She flushed visibly under his darkened gaze. At the same time, she felt strangely powerful and triumphant that she could affect him so easily.

Heero stepped back from her, his hands clenching into fists around the top of the nearby kitchen chair. One week of celibacy was starting to fuel his growing need, and his chibi-chan was not helping the matter at all. He could feel his own control slipping away like sand in an hourglass. He knew for certain now that he cared for her. He cared for her because she didn´t see his status, just the man underneath the stony exterior. She had no qualm about talking back to him, and it was refreshing to meet someone who could look past what the headline news named him. He didn´t want to hurt her.

"This is your last chance, chibi-chan," he warned her, his voice hoarse with carefully hidden passion. "If you don´t leave in the next minute, you won´t be leaving until morning."

"What if I sleep past morning?" Usagi replied, a teasing smile on her lips. "Will you promise not to kick me out?"

Heero stared at her in incredulous silence. Did she even know what she was agreeing to? Then again, at this point, did he really want to sit her down and give her a lesson she should have learnt in high school? Besides, even if he had to teach her the lesson, he´d rather demonstrate than talk about it. "I promise," he whispered lowly. "Now, come here."

She slowly walked to him, a little apprehensive, but he could tell that she felt the same unbearable joy as he did when they had kissed so passionately only moments earlier. Once she was close enough, he let his hands run softly over her porcelain cheeks, tracing her jaw and down her neck. She let out a soft moan, and that was all the encouragement he needed.

~*~*~*~*~

Duo glanced up at Minako by peering over the top of the menu he was holding. Something wasn´t right with her. He knew that much. He had, as planned, shown up just when she was about to leave, and asked if she wanted to "grab a bite". She had seemed surprised, which confused Duo. It wasn´t as though they didn´t go out anywhere at all.

Nonetheless, he had chosen a quiet restaurant with a minimal amount of people. The last thing he wanted was lots of flashing cameras while he ate. Normally, he and Minako would be laughing and joking, but she had been quiet since they had gotten into his car, something that Duo found both unusual and disturbing.

"May I take your order?" a primly dressed waiter asked, taking out his notepad and pen. 

"Yea," Duo replied, his attention focused on the woman across from him. Randomly, he pointed to a place in his menu. "I´ll have that."

"Certainly, sir," the waiter nodded. "And you, miss?"

Minako´s eyes scanned the menu, wondering what Usagi would order. Something weird, or that sounded weird, like. . . "Calamari," she decided.

"Excellent choice, miss," the waiter commented blandly before picking up their menus and leaving.

As soon as the waiter´s footsteps were out of earshot, an awkward silence settled over the table. Minutes passed as Duo waited for the Minako he knew so well to smile cheerily and ask him how his movie´s coming along, but nothing happened. Impatient with the lack of talking, he decided to speak up. 

"So, Minako," he started, "how´s life?" Now, he wanted to smack himself. This was not the way he envisioned dinner.

Minako gave him one of her famous fake smiles. If he had been anyone else, he would think she was just fine, because Minako was the best there was at faking cheeriness. But he wasn´t anyone else. He had known Minako long enough to tell which of her smiles were genuine and which were not. "As exciting as an electron!" she replied.

Duo blinked. "An electron?" he repeated.

"Yea! Don´t you know? An electron has a ground state and an excited state," Minako recited, feeling like a big fool. She was blurting out everything she had read in that long article. She had no idea what she was saying, but it sounded like something Usagi would say, right? That means the wide-eyed look Duo was giving her meant that he was impressed, right?

Another few minutes passed with Minako reciting something that sounded like the text from an encyclopedia. If someone estimated that Duo understood thirty percent of what Minako said, then they were overestimating him. Whatever happened to fun and laughter and talk that he would comprehend?

Luckily, the food came then, allowing Minako to take a breath and Duo´s mind to take a rest. The same waiter that had taken their order placed a huge plate of squid in front of Minako, and a bucket in front of Duo before leaving.

Confused, Duo peered into the large, but strangely elegant bucket. He was met with the sight of ice cubes, lots of them. He glanced up at Minako, who was poking at her food and wrinkling her nose. She wondered what she had ordered.

As though reading the question right off her face, Duo answered, "That´s squid."

Instantly, Minako turned green. "Squid?" she almost choked out.

Thinking maybe there was something wrong with the order, Duo signaled the waiter over. "I think there might have been a mistake," he started. "Are you sure that´s what we ordered?"

"Very sure, sir," the waiter replied, looking down his nose at them. "The young lady ordered calamari, which is what this is."

"Calamari is squid?" Minako interrupted, feeling her stomach churn with the knowledge.

"Yes, Miss," the waiter answered.

"Okay," Duo muttered, "then what about me? How come I got a bucket?"

"Sir, you ordered a bucket of ice," the waiter responded.

Complete silence reigned for a full five minutes before Duo realized what had happened. Sighing mentally, he cursed the restaurant for putting that on the menu.

"Uh, could I get a club sandwich. . .in addition to this bucket of ice?" Duo asked.

"Of course, sir," the waiter returned, and left the table.

Duo turned to Minako and saw her poking at the food, a look of horror on her face. "You want to order something else, Minako?" he questioned. "You don´t look so good."

The blonde model stood up suddenly and grabbed her purse. "I, um, have to go to the bathroom. I´ll be back," she muttered under her breath, and almost ran from the table.

Duo looked between the now empty chair and the direction his friend had run off in. Was it something he said? Mentally, he ran over their conversation again, but he couldn´t find any particular place where he might have stuck his foot in his mouth, except maybe the part where he said she looked ill. He sighed. If there was one thing he knew about women, it´s the fact that they take forever in the bathroom.

His sandwich came, and quietly, he ate his food, wondering what could have been wrong with Minako. What happened to his friend?

~*~*~*~*~

Minako splashed some cool water on her face, then looked up into the mirror at herself. What was it that Duo had said attracted him to Usagi? 

She seemed more approachable, that was it.

Minako stared at herself, wondering which part of her face screamed "don´t come near me" to the men. But no matter how hard she looked and thought, she couldn´t figure it out. Somehow, her conversation with Duo now died easily. She didn´t know why they could talk like they had known each other forever when they were just friends, and now that she decided she wanted more, they had nothing to say to each other, even though she was trying her best to be the girl of his dreams, so to speak. Was this what some people meant when they said that friends shouldn´t date each other? That they were afraid of ruining a friendship if they dated friends? And if that was the case, did she still want to try this?

Because this wasn´t what she had envisioned at all as a first date with Duo.

~*~*~*~*~

"What do you mean, she never came out of the Aegis building?!" the beautiful woman practically screamed into her cell phone.

Her chauffeur winced from the front seat, and in an attempt to give the woman a little more privacy as well as his ears a little relief, he hit the button that brought a sheet of glass sliding up behind his seat. Amazingly, he could still hear the woman talking, but at least it was muffled now.

"It´s past midnight! You must have missed her!" the woman continued to yell. A pause followed before she exploded, "I hope you remember who´s the boss! I´ll fire you on the spot if you _ever_ talk back again! I don´t care if you´re a lawyer or the best investigator in Japan! If you can´t get your job done, then you´re useless to me! Now keep working!"

She hung up angrily, her normally composed elegance gone. She was flushed with anger, her eyes narrowed, and her phone was clenched so tightly in her hand that she could feel it digging into her skin.

"I´ll get you when you least expect it," she promised, watching the lights of nighttime Tokyo pass by as her chauffeur drove down the street. "You won´t be ahead forever, Miss Aino."

*************************************************

End of Chapter 14.

Reference: Heero and Usagi´s conversation is actually a sniplet from a conversation between Buffy and Angel from season two of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. The actual conversation went as follows:

Angel: Do you love me?  
Buffy: What?  
Angel: Do you?  
Buffy: I love you. I don´t know if I trust you.  
Angel: Maybe you shouldn´t do either.  
Buffy: Maybe that should be for me to decide. 

AN: I apologize if you thought that was a little fast, but the sexual tension´s been building for who knows how many chapters. Any questions you have, just ask. I will try my very hardest to provide a good explanation in the following chapters, and to justify Usagi´s decision here. If it makes anyone feel better, my estimate is that the story´s only about half done. My apologies also to the readers who wanted more subplot. I´m afraid the next chapter will focus on Heero and Usagi too. I´ll try my best to update once more before school starts. Any comments you have are welcome. ^^ Have a good rest of the summer, minna!


	15. Chapter 15: Be With You

Leave Me Breathless by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: I have a chemistry textbook that you can take. . . . .On second thought, you can´t take it. I have a midterm next week. Don´t sue, I don´t own either Gundam Wing or Sailormoon, and suing me will only give you a painful _thwarp_ in the head, courtesy of my hardcover textbook.

AN: Hmm. . .it´s been awhile, hasn´t it? Heh heh, I´m sorry? University is a cross between insanity and work. Just when you think you´re done your work, the next week rolls around. *sigh* I don´t even really know how I found the time to write this up, though I could swear I didn´t write that much while in residence. Speaking of the chapter, nothing much happens in it, at least in my opinion. I think it could be better, but you might get a kick out of the last scene. Enjoy.

SilverBladeSilencer: Easy enough to answer. He *thought* he like Usagi, but he´s not in the same state of mind with Minako. As for Heero and Usa, they´re going to do what they want.

RubiiTsuki: It wasn´t a contest. I was curious, and thought more people would get it, that´s all.

obsession-101: Well, I´m glad. ^^ 

Kawaii Chibi Megami: Well, they´re in this chapter, so you might (or might not) like that. ^^

the Desert Fox: Nah, if she died, it would have been cliché.

Ice Blue Eyes: I understand the feeling. =/ If a guy asked me that, I´d probably kill him too.

Celestial Dreamblaze: It is, isn´t it. I wonder what they´re going to do too. Minako is about to get some help. ^.~

Timeless Enigma: Well, I´m glad _somebody_ wants to read the subplot. I seem to get a lot of request for the main plot, even if I do like writing it. It´s nice to see interest in the rest of the gang. ^^

Chibi Horsewoman: ROFL. I should, just to get someone to make fun of Quatre. And for the record, I didn´t put as much tension between Quatre and Rei because I didn´t want their situation to be exactly the same as Heero and Usagi´s.

Shi: LOL. I always say that after I read unfinished chapter fics.

Minna-san: Okay, so after I reread all of your comments, I suddenly feel twice as bad for not updating earlier. I´ll just go hide in a hole now. Enjoy the chappie, even if it´s not that great.

Warnings: Relena-bashing, OOC-ness galore, not much happens, in my opinion anyways.

***************************************************

Chapter 15 - Be With You

***************************************************

The blonde-haired woman wrapped her hair into a towel before stepping into her bedroom, a pink silk bathrobe wrapped loosely around her lithe frame. She barely acknowledged the servant who walked in as silently as a mouse, dropped off her breakfast and morning mail on a tray, and left as quietly as he came in.

The woman sat daintily on the queen-sized bed and picked up the stack of mail. It was already considerably less thick than it should have been. The bills have been forwarded to her personal financial assistant, and the fan mail went into a box somewhere else in the mansion. Only the personal mail came to her room. There were a couple letters from her family, but it was one particular brown envelope from her recently-hired help that made her smile.

Quickly, she ripped open the envelope and skimmed the contents. Well, it wasn´t exactly what she was looking for, but it was definitely interesting, and could definitely be useful. . . if she knew how to use it.

She shoved the documents back into the envelope and stuffed it in the drawer of her night table. The day was off to a decent start.

~*~*~*~*~

"You´re doing what?!" Minako squealed loudly when Rei dropped her news at the breakfast table.

The raven-haired beauty sighed. "For the last time, Minako, I´m going to London with Mr. Winner on his business trip."

"Are you absolutely, absolutely sure it´s _ just_ a business trip?" Minako teased, trying to lighten her own depressed mood since yesterday night.

"Minako," Rei growled warningly. "I´m Mr. Winner´s secretary."

Minako sighed. "Yea, yea, and you never hit on your bosses, even if they´re gorgeous, and rich, and the most eligible bachelor in Tokyo," she muttered.

Rei glared at her housemate. Sometimes, she wondered how Minako´s mind worked. "Your sister´s working at Aegis now. If you want to hit on Yuy so much, then you go ahead and be another one of his whores," she retorted.

Minako blinked. Rei was often angry when she made comments like that about Heero Yuy, but never had her best friend ever insulted _her_ in her anger. "Are you okay, Rei?" she asked suddenly, concerned.

"I´m sorry," Rei apologized. "I didn´t mean it like that."

"I know you don´t," Minako smiled. "Now, tell me what´s wrong."

Rei hesitated. Would Minako think less of her because she had possibly fallen for her own boss? Then again, maybe Minako would be able to make sense of the weird feelings she´s been having. She didn´t think she was falling for Quatre Winner. Sure, he was good-looking, and a real gentleman, but he had a girlfriend, and that girlfriend of his was Rei´s friend too. How could she stab someone in the back, even if she liked Mr. Winner?

She sighed. "I think I like someone, but that someone has a girlfriend, who´s a nice girl, and becoming my friend," she summarized.

"Relationship problems," Minako nodded like a psychiatrist. "I see, I see. Do you know the girl enough to be sorry if you, for the lack of a better word, stole her boyfriend?"

"Minako, that´s a really low way to get a guy," Rei pointed out.

"But what if you never find anyone else you like?" Minako prompted.

"How would you know that?" Rei replied.

"You don´t," Minako shrugged. "But life´s all about taking chances. I mean, maybe the guy´s interested in you and watching for signs. Just because he currently has a girlfriend doesn´t mean he can´t look. And if you don´t really know the girl, how is it your fault if her boyfriend decided he likes you better?"

"But I don´t know if he likes me at all," Rei said.

"Then you´ll have to find out," Minako reasoned. "Honestly, Rei, look at me and my situation. I tried to set up a guy I didn´t know I like with my own sister. It can´t get much worse than that."

"Then maybe I shouldn´t be taking your advice," Rei laughed.

Minako stuck out her tongue. "It´s just an opinion, not advice. I just think you shouldn´t let the chance pass you by. Seize the moment and go for it. Don´t wait till it´s too late," she finished softly.

Rei´s look turned sympathetic. She laid a friendly hand on Minako´s shoulder. "Thanks, and I´ll try to keep that _advice_ in mind," she winked. "And believe me, you´re not too late."

Minako smiled her thanks. "So when are you leaving for England?"

"Tomorrow," Rei answered. "Want to help me shop for things?"

Minako´s face lit up like a kid´s in a candy store. "You said the magic word," she grinned. "I´ll meet you for lunch at one, then we´ll hit the stores!"

~*~*~*~*~

"Hello?" came the answer from the phone.

The man hesitated, then internally sighed at his own behaviour. "Makoto? It´s Quatre," he finally said.

"Hey," was her reply. "I´m kind of busy right now, Quatre. The restaurant´s off to a really great start."

"That´s fantastic," he commented almost blandly. It wasn´t that he wasn´t happy for her, but it irked him that she didn´t even ask how he was doing. Sure, it was useless conversation, but sometimes, he needed that. He wondered if she knew.

"Is it important?" Makoto prompted him from the other end. "I should get back to the kitchen."

Quatre bristled slightly from his seat in his office. "I just wanted to tell you that I´m leaving tomorrow for a business trip to England," he announced.

"Oh? Alright. Take care of yourself, Quatre. Don´t work too hard," she reminded him.

Quatre smiled, despite his girlfriend not being able to see him. "I should say that to you," he laughed lightly. "I´ll see you then."

Putting the receiver back, he sighed, aloud this time. Yes, Makoto was indeed an independent woman. She didn´t need him to take care of her. That was a good thing, right? He didn´t want someone who hung onto his arm every second of the day. Then again, his traitorous mind muttered, wouldn´t it be nice if he could find someone who was a nice mix of the two types? Someone who was independent enough that they could take care of themselves, but also needed him in some way, sometimes?

He shook his head. He wasn´t being loyal to Makoto. He shouldn´t think about finding a second person when they were still dating. But were they really dating? They hadn´t exactly gone on anything that resembled a date since. . .well, high school. Their current relationship was anything but romantic.

Had Makoto been right? Were their memories just best the way they were now, sitting in the past?

~*~*~*~*~

She shifted a little in her half-sleepy state, feeling rays of the bright sun shining down on her. A cool air brushed her bare skin, and subconsciously, she drew the sheets closer to her. 

Wait, sheets? She didn´t normally sleep with thin sheets as covers, and even if she did, they wouldn´t feel like silk against her naked form.

Warily, her eyes opened to meet the unfamiliar ceiling above her, and she suddenly remembered what had happened last night. A deep blush covered her cheeks, and she turned to her side to see if all her tossing and turning had awaken him.

Blinking, she realized that no one was beside her on the king-sized bed, and abruptly, she sat up, the cool air in the room attacking her flesh all at once. She yelped, then grabbed the sheets again and held them tightly against her body. Heero wasn´t that cold, was he? He wouldn´t just take her and then leave her without a word, would he?

A chill went down her spine, and suddenly, she wasn´t quite as blissful about her actions as she had been last night. Maybe it was the mood, maybe it was the stress, maybe it was just him and the comfortable aura around them. Absentmindedly, she glanced at the clock.

Past noon?! Her reaction could only be described as gaping at the clock on the night table. A pale yellow Post-It note caught her attention. It was stuck to the side of the clock, which made it stick out like a sore thumb since the clock was in a deep blue colour.

Moving a little along the bed, she reached out and grabbed the note. _Meeting at 9. Be back at noon,_ it read. Usagi smiled slightly at the scrawled note. She had to teach him how to write. Then again, she mused, the note very much reflected his personality. It was very blunt and straight to the point.

"Are you finding anything particularly funny about that?" a deep, amused voice came from the doorway.

She jumped, instinctively clutching the sheets closer to herself. He was leaning casually against the open bedroom door, and she could feel her face flush as his eyes traveled down her feminine figure. The sheets clung to her, leaving barely anything to imagination.

"Stop that!" she snapped, cursing him silently for making her feel so self-conscious.

Heero´s eyes slowly met hers, and he smiled. She was so small in his huge bed. With her silken hair flowing loosely around her shoulders and only the sheets covering her body, she looked like the perfect image of a seductress, a temptress. _His_ temptress.

"Good afternoon to you too," he murmured softly.

She suddenly fell back in the bed as though she had only realized what time it was. "Mr. Barton´s going to kill me for being this late," she muttered, more to herself than to him.

He crossed the wide space between them in a matter of strides. Seating himself at the edge of the bed, he grabbed the down blanket that she must have kicked off sometime between when he left and now, and covered her slightly shivering body with it.

"If it helps your state of mind," he murmured when she turned to look at him, "I made your excuses for you."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Do I want to know what you said?" she asked cautiously.

"Probably not," he replied, obviously amused.

Usagi blushed deeply. "Wonderful," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Alright, tell me what you said."

Heero raised at eyebrow at her. "I thought you didn´t want to know," he mused.

"No, you think I wouldn´t want to know," Usagi quipped. She opened her eyes and stared up at him.

"Point taken," Heero agreed, mentally going over their conversation in the past minute. "It´s not what you think I would say."

Usagi sighed. "Must you always be so cryptic?" she muttered, annoyed. "It´s too early in the morning for this."

"Correction," Heero replied, "it´s no longer morning, my dear chibi-chan."

"It´s morning until I have breakfast!" Usagi suddenly burst out, clutching the sheets to her and sitting up in bed.

Heero stared at her, then laughed suddenly. Unable to restrain himself for any longer, he succumbed to his initial impulse when he had first seen her lying on the bed. He gathered the woman, and the sheets around her, into his arms and held her against his chest, feeling her smooth, bare back under his palms.

She stiffened in his hold, and he pulled back to see what was wrong. Usagi´s face was contorted in a painful wince, and she smiled weakly at him when she realized he was watching her.

"Sore?" he asked, and despite the teasing smile on his face, she knew he was concerned about her by the tone of his voice, soft and caressing.

She nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Why didn´t you tell me?" he questioned again.

"Tell you what?" Usagi replied, genuinely confused.

"That you were a virgin," Heero answered easily.

Usagi blinked, then bit out sarcastically, "Let´s have sex, and by the way, I´m a virgin. Yea, that´s great."

Heero managed to grin at her outburst. "I would have thought you were purposely trying to ruin the mood," he admitted, "but I also would have been gentler with you."

"So you didn´t think I was a virgin?" Usagi responded, a pissed off look passing over her face. What? He thought she slept around like some whore off the street? This conversation was definitely leading in the wrong direction.

Heero shrugged. "Not many twenty-three year olds are nowadays," he deadpanned. "In fact, some sixteen year olds aren´t even virgins."

"Not many," Usagi quoted angrily. "It doesn´t mean none." 

A million thoughts ran through her mind. Was it because she hadn´t known him for that long before she had completely given herself to him? That had to be it; there was no other reason for him to think that she had done this before. Or maybe it was something she wore? Something she said?

Unknowingly, tears started rolling down her cheeks like crystal droplets. And in the brink of a second, she was buried in his arms again.

"Don´t cry," he murmured soothingly. "I didn´t mean it like that. It´s just. . . ." he trailed off, and for the first time in his life, he couldn´t find the right words to say without sounding sentimental and sickeningly sappy – two things he hated more than words could say. He sighed. "Let´s just say virgins aren´t generally attracted to me," he finished ironically.

"I can see why," Usagi muttered. She pulled away from him again and flexed her legs a couple of times, trying to work out the soreness she was feeling.

"Will breakfast make you feel any better?" Heero asked, brushing a strand of her loose hair behind her ear.

"What kind of restaurant sells breakfast past noon?" Usagi replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

Heero chuckled. "Get up, and I´ll tell you," he answered. "I don´t know where you live, so I took the liberty of sending my newest secretary down to the mall to get you some clothes. She seemed delighted that shopping was part of her job."

Usagi laughed. "I´ll bet! How old was this one, seventeen?" she teased him.

"I have not yet scared off all the women in their twenties," he replied. "She just came in yesterday, and she´s twenty-eight. Although she did seem disappointed that I sent her to get clothes about five sizes smaller than what she wears."

"I only hope she didn´t end up in the children´s section," Usagi replied, smiling.

"In order words, we hope she´s competent," Heero finished. "If not, she´ll set the record for being the first secretary I fire."

He got up while Usagi giggled. A few seconds later, a large shopping bag was held in front of her. She read the label and was amused to find that it was from the same department store Minako had taken her to the first time she was in Tokyo.

She took the bag from him, and waited for him to leave, something that he obviously had no intention of doing after waiting for close to a minute. He stood comfortably next to the bed with his hands in his pockets, watching her.

Usagi sighed. "Are you planning on leaving?" she asked finally.

"Why would I do that?" Heero replied.

"Because there´s a fire in here," Usagi answered sarcastically.

Heero raised an eyebrow at her answer. "You don´t mean what I think you mean, do you?" he grinned sardonically.

Usagi blinked, then rolled her eyes when the meaning of his words finally registered. "There are only two constants on men´s mind: money, and sex," she muttered.

"Who told you that?" Heero laughed, more amused than insulted, a fact that irritated Usagi more than she was willing to admit.

"Me," Usagi quipped. "Honestly, I need to change."

"How does that equal me having to leave?" Heero asked, watching as she scowled at him.

"Let´s see if I remember my high school math," she bit out. "A woman having to change equals an empty room. An empty room equals no men. No men equals the men leaving. Therefore, a woman having to change equals the men leaving."

"Amazing," Heero muttered with a quirk of his lips. "It´s changed vastly from when I was in high school."

"Which was eons ago," Usagi finished.

"Fine, I´ll leave," Heero decided, only half believing that he had just been tossed out of his own bedroom by a woman half his size. "But first." He pulled her towards him and captured her lips in a deep kiss, taking the liberty to feel her curves underneath the sheets when she kissed him back. And all of a sudden, he didn´t feel like taking her out for breakfast anymore. In fact, he didn´t feel like taking her out of bed.

"This is definitely unhealthy," he muttered, half to himself, when their kiss broke.

"Then go have some eggs. They´re good for you," Usagi replied teasingly.

"Brat," Heero responded, making Usagi laugh. Even after he had shut the door behind him, he could hear the faint sounds of her giggle. 

He shook his head. She had the strangest effect on him. He felt ten years younger when he was with her, and all the things he had previously deemed extremely important were no longer his priorities. It was unhealthy, but it felt good, almost like candy. That thought made him smile. The woman in his room will definitely have something to say if she knew he had just compared her to a snack food.

~*~*~*~*~

"Minako," Rei started flatly, "that is lingerie."

"It is not!" Minako argued, bringing the long white dress trimmed with delicate black lace over to where her best friend stood. "You said you need to bring a formal dress, so I found one that I think is great!"

"That is lingerie," Rei repeated unequivocally. "I do not care which section you got it from or how great you think it´ll look on me."

"But everything you pick is so bland," Minako whined. "Solid colours, covers everything from head to toe."

"They do _not_ cover everything from head to toe, and what is wrong with solid colours?" Rei demanded, frowning. She knew she shouldn´t have brought Minako to shop for dresses, especially dresses for a business ball she had to attend.

"Nothing, but _everyone_ wears solid colours at business places. How are you going to stand out?" Minako sighed dramatically.

"That´s the point," Rei replied dryly. "I´m not supposed to stand out."

Frowning, the blonde took the dress back to the rack where she found it and continued to flip through the selection. Meanwhile, Rei had all but collapsed into the nearest cushioned chair. She had known shopping with Minako would take a long time, but she hadn´t realized that her definition of long is far different from Minako´s. Sighing, she thanked god that at least they had left the dress until the end. Otherwise, they wouldn´t have gotten anything done.

"How about this?" Minako asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time to Rei.

Warily, the raven-haired woman opened her eyes and glanced at the dress her companion was holding. She blinked a couple times before sitting up straight to stare. The dress was made of a red, satiny material, held up by spaghetti straps. The neckline fell loosely just underneath the collarbone, and Rei could tell that it would show just enough cleavage to be stylish. The hemline, which was trimmed with extra material to what looked like a flowery edge, fell diagonally from the left knee to the right angle.

"That. . .looks really nice," Rei finally admitted, earning a beam of approval from Minako.

"Try it on! Try it on!" the blonde urged, dragging Rei from the chair in the direction of the fitting room.

"Minako!" Rei hissed loudly. "My purse is on that chair!"

"Alright already," Minako replied. She shoved the dress into Rei´s arms. "You go try it on and I´ll get your purse."

Rei watched helplessly as her friend barreled through the racks the same way they had come. She shook her head and walked into the change room. In another few minutes, she was changed and staring at herself in the full-length mirror in the change room. Despite the fact that she felt a little uncomfortable with the neckline, she had to admit to herself that she looked good. The hemline showed off her long legs, and after living with Minako for so long, Rei knew with the right hairstyle, she would look both sophisticated and sexy at the same time. 

She fingered the material lightly, deciding that she would get it for the business ball. Briefly, she wondered what Mr. Winner would say about the attire.

~*~*~*~*~

Minako practically skidded to a stop in front of the chair her friend was previously sitting on and snatched up the little black purse that was still on it. She was about to rush back the way she came when a voice stopped her.

"Hey! Minako!"

The blonde swiveled around quickly, and would have lost her balance if the person hadn´t held her arm to keep her from falling.

Minako looked up in surprise to meet the concerned, indigo ones of her Duo Maxwell.

"Are you okay?" he asked, helping her to stand up straight again.

"Uh. . .yea," she finally got out. She stared at him for a moment more before the strange thing about the situation occurred to her. "What are you doing in a dress store?"

"Ah, I was just visiting a friend from high school," Duo answered. "What about you?"

Minako shifted nervously from one foot to another. What would Usagi say? Something witty, no doubt, but she couldn´t think of anything. Wait a second, friend in a dress store? A girl, most likely. The thought made her sigh aloud.

"Nothing," she muttered, turning to walk away. "I was just looking around."

Duo frowned. Something was really wrong with Minako. He just wished he knew what it was. A tap on his shoulder jolted him from his thoughts. He glanced at his side to see a silvery-haired man in an impeccable white suit standing next to him.

"Artemis, how´s it going?" Duo greeted half-heartedly.

"Thanks for sounding concerned," the man muttered, rolling his eyes.

Duo feigned hurt. "What do you mean? I meant what I said," he protested.

"I know. You just didn´t sound like you meant it," Artemis explained.

This time, it was Duo´s turn to roll his eyes. The now twenty-nine year old man hadn´t changed a bit since their high school days, when he tutored Duo in everything, basically speaking. He was still as technical as ever, a fact that led Duo to wonder how he ever got a girl as creative as his wife to fall in love with him. Artemis Lockhart was as left-brain as one could get, and judging from the dresses hanging around them, his wife was as right-brain as one could get.

"Please, no more of this technical junk," Duo stated. "I thought you said we were just going to catch up."

"I did," Artemis admitted. "And I wanted to break some news to you, seeing that you´re one of the few high school friends I still keep in touch with."

Duo nodded, following the silver-haired man towards the back of the store, where his office was. The desk was annoyingly clean, at least in Duo´s opinion, and every piece of paper was tucked neatly into the various folders stacked on the desk.

"How´s the business going?" Duo asked, even though being in the entertainment business, he already knew that the Lockhart line of clothes was very popular with his female coworkers.

"Very well," Artemis replied, "but you already knew that."

Duo groaned. "Alright, moving on, what´s the news?"

"I´m going to move back to Japan," the man announced without so much as a twitch of his eye.

"That´s nice," Duo mumbled, his attention suddenly drawn to the female figure moving past Artemis´s office outside.

Artemis rolled his eyes again. This always seemed to happen with Duo. He studied the woman that seemed to have his friend´s undivided attention, and recognized her as supermodel Minako Aino. He remembered his wife designing a few formal dresses for her when she debuted.

Suddenly, a loud cry of "What?! You´re moving back to Japan?!" shook him out of his trip down memory lane.

Artemis sighed. "Delayed reaction seemed to be common with you, Duo," he commented.

"Hey, I was distracted," Duo protested.

"I know," Artemis replied. "I´m surprised you haven´t made a move yet."

"Huh? We´re just friends," the braided boy pointed out.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You don´t stare at me like that and we´re friends," he pointed out.

"That´s different," Duo argued. "You didn´t change personalities on me in twenty-four hours."

"Right," Artemis agreed, "and I´m not female and you´re not gay."

"Hey!" was the protest.

Wordlessly, Artemis stood up from his chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Duo asked.

"To see what kind of woman would have that kind of effect on you," Artemis answered calmly. "And to see if you have any chance at all."

Before Duo could say another word about his relationship, or lack thereof, with the supermodel, his so-called friend was out of the office and the door had slammed shut behind him.

**************************************************

End of Chapter 15.

AN: Well, as you can see, I´ve laid off on Heero and Usagi, for the moment anyways. You can be sure they´ll be back a few chapters later. Next chapter will have more subplot. (Yea, I know I´ve said it before, but this time, I´ve set it up right so I´ll talk about them.) Anyone like my addition of more characters, aka more chaos? =D I didn´t do it on purpose, I swear! I wonder how I´m going to resolve all this at the end. . Sooo, please contribute to the can o´ ideas and REVIEW! Thank you. ^^v


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